Related News
Bulgaria, Brazil triumph as row boils over
Source: Agencies |
July 23, 2011, Saturday
|
Online Edition
Online Edition
BULGARIA'S Petar Stoychev and Ana Marcela Cunha of Brazil won controversial men's and women's 25-km open water races at the world swimming championships today.
However, the races were overshadowed by withdrawals and complaints that the water temperature, about 90 minutes from competition host city Shanghai, was too hot.
Stoychev won the marathon event in five hours, 10 minutes, 39.8 seconds, while Russia's Vladymir Dyatchin in 5:11:15.6 took silver, just pipping Csaba Gercsak of Hungary (5:11:18.1).
Six swimmers, including Germany's Thomas Lurz, who won the 5-km race and took silver in the Olympic-qualifying 10-km race, did not even start the men's race, while nine withdrew during it. A total of 35 had entered the race.
A Reuters witness said the German team had tested the water temperature at the dock, and said it had reached 32 degrees Celsius.
They said the maximum temperature allowed to compete is 31 degrees and there were complaints from other teams that officials should have stopped the race.
The men's race had originally been scheduled to start at 0800 (0000 GMT), but had its time moved twice, first to 0700 then 0600. The women's race started at 0605.
American team officials said they had recommended their athletes not race as the water temperature was 30.4 degrees Celsius at 0530. They withdrew Haley Anderson and Alex Meyer before the race began.
Claire Thompson was closely monitored during the race before being pulled out by team officials.
US officials have been extra cautious on water conditions since Fran Crippen, who was hoping to become the first US open water medallist at an Olympics in London next year, died of apparent heat exhaustion at an event in Dubai last October.
A US panel, set up to investigate the 26-year-old's death, recommended that FINA implement minimum and maximum water temperatures for races and safety standards.
In the women's race, Marcela Cunha finished in 5:29:22.9, just ahead of Angela Maurer of Germany (5:29:25.0) and Alice Franco of Italy (5:29:30.8).
However, the races were overshadowed by withdrawals and complaints that the water temperature, about 90 minutes from competition host city Shanghai, was too hot.
Stoychev won the marathon event in five hours, 10 minutes, 39.8 seconds, while Russia's Vladymir Dyatchin in 5:11:15.6 took silver, just pipping Csaba Gercsak of Hungary (5:11:18.1).
Six swimmers, including Germany's Thomas Lurz, who won the 5-km race and took silver in the Olympic-qualifying 10-km race, did not even start the men's race, while nine withdrew during it. A total of 35 had entered the race.
A Reuters witness said the German team had tested the water temperature at the dock, and said it had reached 32 degrees Celsius.
They said the maximum temperature allowed to compete is 31 degrees and there were complaints from other teams that officials should have stopped the race.
The men's race had originally been scheduled to start at 0800 (0000 GMT), but had its time moved twice, first to 0700 then 0600. The women's race started at 0605.
American team officials said they had recommended their athletes not race as the water temperature was 30.4 degrees Celsius at 0530. They withdrew Haley Anderson and Alex Meyer before the race began.
Claire Thompson was closely monitored during the race before being pulled out by team officials.
US officials have been extra cautious on water conditions since Fran Crippen, who was hoping to become the first US open water medallist at an Olympics in London next year, died of apparent heat exhaustion at an event in Dubai last October.
A US panel, set up to investigate the 26-year-old's death, recommended that FINA implement minimum and maximum water temperatures for races and safety standards.
In the women's race, Marcela Cunha finished in 5:29:22.9, just ahead of Angela Maurer of Germany (5:29:25.0) and Alice Franco of Italy (5:29:30.8).
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
