FINA Announces Full List of Open Water Olympians Following Setubal Qualifier

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, June 11. THE list of the 50 athletes (25 men and 25 women) competing at the marathon swimming 10km races at the 2012 Olympic Games in London (GBR) has been established after the completion of the FINA Olympic Marathon Swim Qualifier, organised in the Setubal Bay in Portugal on June 9-10, 2012.

The marathon swimming qualification for the 2012 Olympic Games comprised two steps: the automatic selection of the 10 first ranked swimmers at the 2011 FINA World Championships in Shanghai and the 15 remaining spots being decided in the Setubal event.

Under excellent conditions, 61 men and 40 women took the plunge in the Portuguese waters and the Olympic dream became true for 30 of them. Among men, the winner of the race was Olympic champion Oussama Mellouli (TUN, 1h45m18s5), gold medallist of the 1500m free in the pool at the last Olympics in the “Water Cube”. The men's podium was completed by Richard Weinberger (CAN, 1h45m30s2) and by Petar Stoychev (BUL, 1h45m34s1). It will be the fourth Olympics for the Bulgarian competitor, one of the best open water swimmers in history and flag bearer of his country at the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Games in the Chinese capital.

In the women's field, it was Haley Anderson (USA) who swam faster (1h44m30s6) in Setubal, getting the right to be present in her first Olympics and touching home ahead of Eva Risztov (HUN, 1h44m32s0) and Anna Olasz (HUN, 1h44m36s8). As the qualification was done with a maximum quota of one athlete per country, Olasz could not accomplish her Olympic qualification.

In Portugal, the qualification was done taking the fastest 10 swimmers in each race, plus considering then the fastest five competitors on a continental basis. In the women's race, the host place for Great Britain had been awarded in Shanghai (Keri-Anne Payne had been world champion in the Chinese metropolis), while in the men's event Daniel Fogg was faster than 2008 silver medallist David Davies in Set?bal.

OLYMPIC MARATHON LONDON 2012 — Qualified Athletes

MEN
Spyridon Gianniotis (GRE) – Shanghai
Thomas Lurz (GER) – Shanghai
Sergey Bolshakov (RUS) – Shanghai
Alex Meyer (USA) – Shanghai
Ky Hurst (AUS) – Shanghai
Francisco Jose Hervas (ESP) – Shanghai
Brian Ryckeman (BEL) — Shanghai
Julien Sauvage (FRA) — Shanghai
Vladimir Dyatchin (RUS) — Shanghai
Andreas Waschburger (GER) – Shanghai
Oussama Mellouli (TUN) – Setubal
Richard Weinberger (CAN) – Setubal
Petar Stoychev (BUL) – Setubal
Valerio Cleri (ITA) – Setubal
Troyden Prinsloo (RSA) – Setubal
Yasunari Hirai (JPN) – Setubal
Igor Chervynskiy (UKR) – Setubal
Ivan Enderica Ocho (ECU) – Setubal
Arseniy Lavrentyev (POR) – Setubal
Yuri Kudinov (KAZ) – Setubal
Erwin Maldonado (VEN) – Setubal
Csaba Gercsak (HUN) – Setubal
Kane Radford (NZL) – Setubal
Mazen Aziz (EGY) – Setubal
Daniell Fogg (GBR) – Setubal

WOMEN
Keri-Anne Payne (GBR) – Shanghai
Martina Grimaldi (ITA) – Shanghai
Marianna Lymperta (GRE) – Shanghai
Melissa Gorman (AUS) – Shanghai
Cecilia Biagioli (ITA) – Shanghai
Poliana Okimoto (BRA) – Shanghai
Jana Pechanova (CZE) — Shanghai
Angela Maurer (GER) — Shanghai
Swann Oberson (SUI) — Shanghai
Erika Villaecija (ESP) – Shanghai
Haley Anderson (USA) – Setubal
Eva Risztov (HUN) – Setubal
Yanqiao Fang (CHN) – Setubal
Zsofia Balazs (CAN) – Setubal
Ophelie Aspord (FRA) – Setubal
Natalia Charlos (POL) – Setubal
Anna Guseva (RUS) – Setubal
Karla Sitic (CRO) – Setubal
Wing Yung Natasha Terri (HKG) – Setubal
Yumi Kida (JPN) – Setubal
Olga Beresnyeva (UKR) – Setubal
Cara Baker (NZL) – Setubal
Yanel Pinto (VEN) – Setubal
Heidi Gan (MAS) – Setubal
Jessica Roux (RSA) — Setubal

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World Magazine. It has been posted in its entirety without editing. Swimming World offers all outlets the chance to reach our audience by contacting us at Newsmaster@swimmingworldmagazine.com. However, Swimming World reserves the right to choose what material is posted.

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