An unbelievably-close finish in the women’s 10km open water race on Saturday, the first swimming race of the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada, saw one American win after video review, and another just out-lunged for a medal.
There was a pack of four who came down the chute together at the end of the grueling two-hour race in the Ontario Place West Channel. Even after hands had gone up and hit the finish pad suspended above the water, a winner could not be immediately declared as American Eva Fabian and Venezuelan Paola Perez-Sierra registered identical 2:03:17.0 times on the computer.
Open water swimming, unlike pool swimming, allows for official video review of a photo finish, and when that review was complete, it was the American Fabian who came away with the gold medal.
The crafty Yale Bulldog undergrad rarely led this race until the leadup to the finish. Chile’s Kristel Kobrich, a very good pool swimmer who has lately made the transition into open water, led 2/3 of the race before ultimately falling about eight seconds back to finish 5th – behind the aforementioned group of four.
Sitting right behind Fabian then for most of the race was the Ecuadorean Samantha Salinas, who officially was a tenth behind in 2:03:17.1. She’s part of a rising movement of elite open water swimmers in Ecuador – a country not well known for its swimming.
The fourth of the group was the other American swimmer Emily Brunemann, who recorded a 2:03:17.5. Here in Toronto, she swam the premier open water distance of the 10k, but she’s also got her sights set on the longer 25km swim at the World Championships in a month.
Mexico’s Zaira Cardenas was 6th in 2:03:28.3 at the tail-end of the lead pack. Leading the second group were the two home-team Canadians Jade Dusablon (2:04:36.7) and Samantha Harding (2:04:37.7).
Canadian open water lead coach Mark Perry said that this was valuable experience for a pair of swimmers still are learning in open water.
“I think both of the girls are kind of at the start of their careers. It’s a fairly new sport in terms of performance swimming in Canada so it’s a case of both of them kind of learning from their mistakes,” said open water lead coach Mark Perry. “The more races we can get them through, the more we can try and teach them.”
“It was a great race, I’m happy about the five first laps, I am just disappointed a bit because I lost the pack (during) the last lap,” said Quebec City’s Dusablon. “But I had a great finish, and I’m happy with that.”
Congratulations! But all I see are 2 boats that look over crowded and precariously close to tipping over onto the swimmers!
Congrats Eva!!!!! Incredible race with an amazing photo finish.