The Olympic 10km Marathon Swim at the 2012 London Olympics is going to be one very, very special race. Like the inaugural Olympic 10K Marathon Swim at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, which were watched live by fans in 72 countries, the race will showcase the talents and tactics of the world’s best open water swimmers.

Similar to the recently held 50K cross-country skiing race at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, 25 of the world’s best marathon swimmers are going to treat the estimated 100,000 standing-room only crowd and the live global television and online audience to two hours of strategy, tactics, phenomenal aerobic conditioning and an all-out mass sprint to a dramatic finish.

Home of the English Channel. Birthplace of the British Long Distance Swimming Association. Land of the Champion of Champions Race. Great Britain will be a wonderful host to the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim. And the expectations of the British people will fall on the shoulders of the extremely talented British swimmers.

Held in the Serpentine in Hyde Park in central London, the setting will be unbelievably magical for the world’s best. But the question arises, how are these 25 men and 25 women selected for the Olympic 10K?

The 25 finalists will comprise of the following:

o The top 10 highest placing men and women from the 2011 World Championships to be held in Shanghai
o 1 man and 1 woman from Great Britain as the host country
o 9 men and 9 women from a second qualification swim to be determined
o There will be a minimum of 5 male and 5 female continental representatives (i.e., 1 man and 1 women per continental region: Africa, Asia, Americas, Oceania and Europe)
o A test event – and possibly the second qualification swim – will be held in London on August 13-14, 2011, possibly as part of the FINA World Cup.

Swimmers…to your mark…

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