Italy’s Martina Grimaldi has enjoyed the view of the podium around the world, but standing on top of the always competitive 10K race at the European Open Water Swimming Championships is always especially sweet.
Martina won under exceptional conditions in Eilat, Israel’s Royal Beach on the Red Sea in 2:00:18.6, in a tight finish over teammate Rachele Bruni (2:00:19.2) and Germany’s Nadine Reichert finished in 2:00:20.0
The 10K course was 6 laps of 1.66K where the women all stayed in one large pack for the first half of the race. At times, the pack had a 6-wide. After the halfway point, Martina and Rachele increased their pace, stretching out the peloton to a long single line.
On the last lap, Martina inched ahead of her teammate and explained:
“Together with Rachele, we decided to go into the lead right from the start of the race. This is a very hard. But it permitted us to control the pace and after the third lap we started to increase our efforts. We managed to break away from the big pack and then kept our position up until the finishing line.”
Rachele won her first international 10K medal, “It was a team effort with Martina. We often exchanged the lead, and always kept positions 1 and 2. During the last lap, I hoped to catch up with her. But she knew that I am a good finisher so she maintained a high speed and I was unable to pass her. I would have preferred gold, of course.”
Nadine also put things in perspective, “2011 was a bad season for me. I did not make the Worlds in Shanghai, so I wasn’t in the best of moods before the race. But during the event, when I noticed that I wasn’t actually too far from the leaders, I managed to keep my position within the top 5 of the leading pack during the last lap. This was a great motivation and it helped me to earn the Bronze medal.”
The Eilat competition is clearly one of the world’s most competitive events with a total of 24 medal winners (both male and female) from either the Olympic Games, World Championships or European Championships competing in the seven races this week. The European Open Water Swimming Championships can be seen live from Eilat here.
The final results:
1. GRIMALDI Martina (ITA) 2:00:18.6
2. BRUNI Rachele (ITA) 2:00:19.2 0.6
3. REICHERT Nadine (GER) 2:00:20.0 1.4
4. DOMINGUEZ Margarita (ESP) 2:00:24.5
5. SITIC Karla (CRO) 2:00:24.7
6. OLASZ Anna (HUN) 2:00:24.7
7. GUSEVA Anna (RUS) 2:00:26.2
8. PECHANOVÁ Jana (CZE) 2:00:27.8
9. GORSHKOVA Elizaveta (RUS) 2:00:29.5
10. REQUENA Yurema (ESP) 2:00:29.6
11. CHARLOS Natalia (POL) 2:00:38.8
12. OBERSON Swann (SUI) 2:00:42.7
13. BARROT Celia (FRA) 2:02:05.1
14. BERBASOVA Alona (UKR) 2:02:07.0
15. KRAPIVINA Anastasia (RUS) 2:02:09.6
16. CIRILLO Nicole (ITA) 2:02:12.3
17. PICKOVÁ Barbora (CZE) 2:02:12.9
18. RECIO Marta (ESP) 2:02:17.6
19. BERESNYEVA Olga (UKR) 2:04:02.6
20. PINTO Daniela (POR) 2:07:22.1
21. PINSLY Chen (ISR) 2:11:52.0
22. INKAYA Ezgi (TUR) 2:27:19.2
AMIT Rotem (ISR) DNF
ZUPAN Teja (SLO) DNF
COHEN Lee (ISR) DNF
ARAOUZOU Kalliopi (GRE) DNS
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