In this weekend’s Duel in the Pool, the made-for-television pool swimming competition pitting America’s swimming stars against the best pool swimmers from Great Britain, Germany and Italy, Keri-Anne Payne showed why she is so tough in the open water.

With only 48 hours notice, Keri-Anne was asked to participate against the world’s best pool swimmers and she accepted the invitation to swim the 800-meter freestyle. Keri-Anne stepped up and finished a respectable second in 8:17.61 to Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington.

A job very well-done by Swimming World Magazine’s 2009 World Open Water Female Swimmer of the Year, who epitomized the characteristic of open water swimming always being flexible and who can always expect the unexpected.

You can vote for Keri-Anne in the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Women of the Year poll here.

Copyright © 2009 World Open Water Swimming Association