Based on the global voting of media and administrators who follow the sport, Valerio Cleri was voted FINA’s open water swimming man of the year for 2010. But even though Valerio was the 2010 world 10K champion and the 2009 world 25K champion and 2010 25K silver medalist, he did not qualify for the 2012 London Olympics in Shanghai and did not finish the 25K. Open water swimmers always face the unexpected … but the best of them overcome obstacles and ultimately succeed.

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