Coverage of the 2015 FINA World Championships is sponsored by Wylas Timing. Visit our coverage page for more.
Simone Ruffini of Italy picked up the men’s 25K open water world title at the 2015 FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia.
Ruffini closed out the win with a time of 4:53:10.7. That swim made him the third man from Italy to win an open water world title along with Valerio Cleri (25K in 2009, 10K in 2010) and Luca Baldini (5K in 2001 and 2002).
On the podium, Ruffini then proposed to fellow Italian swimmer Aurora Ponsele, evoking memories of Matt and Annie Grevers’ epic podium proposal.
Alex Meyer, who explained that he had to battle some stomach issues during the race, managed to surge into a silver-medal position with a 4:53:15.1. He’s the third American male swimmer to win multiple individual medals at the World Championships. He previously won the 25K back in 2010. Chip Peterson and Fran Crippen are the other American men to have picked up more than one career medal with three each.
Italy’s Matteo Furlan claimed the bronze medal with a 4:54.38.0, his second medal of the week having already taken the bronze in the men’s 5K. That’s the first time since 2002 that Italy has placed two men on an open water podium at worlds. In 2002, Baldini won the men’s 5K with Stefano Rubaudo picking up bronze.
Meyer’s Tennessee training partner David Heron raced his way into 10th overall with a 5:00:11.5 as the second-best team behind Italy.
Photo Courtesy: FINA
2015 FINA World Championships, Open Water Swimming: Men’s 25K – Results
li conosco ma li vedo solo alla partenza e all’arrivo
Mau Echeverria