15 Spots Still Open In Women’s 10K Olympic Swim

Jul 11, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Monserrat Ortuno of Mexico (bottom) races against Julia Arino of Argentina (top) in the womenÕs 10km open water swimming competition during the 2015 Pan Am Games at Ontario Place West Channel. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Photo Courtesy: Tom Szczerbowski/USA Today Sports Images

Coverage of the 2015 FINA World Championships is sponsored by Wylas Timing. Visit our coverage page for more.

Coverage of the World Championships is sponsored by Wylas Timing. Visit our landing page for more.

By Jeff Commings, Swimming World Senior Writer

The saying “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over” is true for those who finished outside the top 10 in the women’s 10K swim today at the world championships in Kazan, Russia. Fifteen spots are still up for grabs in the women’s 10K Olympic swim, and those will be decided at a race in Portugal next June.

Nine countries will not be able to participate in Portugal, as they have already filled their quota based on placings in today’s 10K swim. The top 10 finishers in today’s world championships competition automatically qualified for the Olympics.

Brazil was the only nation to qualify two athletes in the women’s race, as Ana Marcela Cunha and Poliana Okimoto finished third and sixth, respectively. France, Holland, Italy, Russia, Germany, Greece, United States and Hungary each put one swimmer in the Olympic race and will not be able to add another athlete, according to FINA rules. Among those qualified are reigning Olympic champion Eva Risztov of Hungary and 2012 silver medalist Haley Anderson of the United States.

If Cunha and Okimoto hadn’t qualified today, Brazil would have received one spot automatically as the host nation. That spot will now be given to an athlete from another nation at the Portugal race. Top open water swimming nations such as Great Britain, Spain and Australia will likely send athletes to Portugal next June to get a place in the Olympic swim.

The first requirement in Portugal is to place in the top nine. The second requirement, if a country sends two athletes to the race, is to beat your teammate, as only one swimmer from each country in the top nine can go to the Olympics from this race. If a country puts two swimmers in the top nine in the Olympic qualifier, then FINA will go to 10th place and lower to get nine new qualifiers. FINA might pick a 10th athlete from this race to fill Brazil’s slot that was reserved for the host country if it didn’t qualify at worlds or in the top nine in Portugal.

At this point, 20 women will be selected for the Olympic 10K swim. The remaining five in each gender will be picked based on their country’s continent, and will come from the fastest swimmers in the Olympic qualifier in Portugal, from countries that do not already have a competitor. Each of the five “continents” – Americas, Asia, Europe, Africa and Oceania – will be represented by one athlete from that region.

Example:Seven European nations already have athletes qualified for the women’s Olympic 10K from the world championships. Let’s say that one swimmer from another country in Europe qualifies through the Portugal swim by placing in the top 10. The next-fastest swimmer from Europe in the Portugal swim places 20th overall, and will get a ticket to the Olympics as the representative for Europe.

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