Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.
There has never been anything like the upcoming 10 km marathon swim race at the 2016 USA Swimming National Open Water Swimming Championships on American soil before.
World champions Eva Fabian (USA, 5 km, 2010), Aurélie Muller (France, 10 km, 2015), Haley Anderson (USA, 5 km, 2013 & 2015), Ana Marcela Cunha (Brazil, 25 km, 2011 & 2015), Poliana Okimoto (Brazil, 10 km, 2013), abd Sharon Van Rouwendaal (Netherlands, 10 km, 2014) will go head-to-head in the Fort Myers, Florida warm flat-water course.
That is 6 world champions – all of them at the top of their game.
Additionally, FINA World Cup champions Emily Brunemann of USA and Rachele Bruni of Italy, 2-time Canadian Olympian Stephanie Horner, 2012 Olympian Yumi Kida of Japan, and world championship medalist Ashley Twichell of USA will also undoubtedly fight for position in the lead pack.
It will be quite a race on Miromar Lakes on April 8th – even without defending champion Becca Mann participating. If there was ever a pre-race showdown for the 2016 Olympic 10K Marathon Swim at the Rio Olympics, this is it.
The entry list includes:
Haley Anderson (USA)
Angelica Andre (POR)
Jessie Arnold (USA)
Mary Margaret Banick (USA)
Sarah Bosslet (GER)
Kendall Brent (USA)
Emily Brunemann (USA)
Rachele Bruni (ITA)
Ana Marcela Cunha (BRA)
Caitlin Daday (USA)
Chenoa Devine (USA)
Jade Dusablon (CAN)
Eva Fabian (USA)
Joy Magnolia Field (USA)
Samantha Harding (CAN)
Jessica Hespeler (USA)
Stephanie Horner (CAN)
Hailey Houck (USA)
Yumi Kida (JPN)
Kensey McMahon (USA)
Aurélie Muller (FRA)
Poliana Okimoto (BRA)
Stephanie Peacock (USA) [shown above]
Taylor Pike (USA)
Ana Pozder (USA)
Erica Sullivan (USA)
Brooke Travis (USA)
Chase Travis (USA)
Ashley Twichell (USA)
Sharon Van Rouwendaal (NED)
Libby Walker (USA)
Natalie Ward USA
Kahra Williams (USA)
The USA Swimming Open Water National Championships are held in conjunction with the 2016 Open Water Festival which features a series of clinics and races, including the Fran Crippen Sunset Mile and the Florida Swimming Open Water Championships.
For the Americans competing in the 5 km and 10 km races, the National Championships serve as the selection meet for the 2016 FINA World Junior Open Water Championships, as well as the 2016-17 USA Swimming Open Water National Team.
Photo of Stephanie Peacock by Kinfay Moroti.
Copyright © 2016 by World Open Water Swimming Association