Courtesy: LEN
The 2021 season of the LEN Open Water Cup is to finish with another great race: Alghero will host the last leg of the series. Again, both the men’s and the women’s races feature some of the greatest stars of the discipline, so it’s going to be an exciting and stylish end at the shores of the island of Sardinia.
Though Tokyo bronze medallist Gregorio Paltrinieri, winner of the previous meet in Piombino, will not join the show this time, Olympic silver medallist Kristof Rasovszky and his Hungarian ‘armada’ will have another nice clash with the hosts. This time it’s going to be 7 on 7 (both countries entered as many swimmers) – last Sunday Rasovszky finished third as he battled in the finish with four Italians and at the panel only tenths of a second separated the frontrunners.
However, there are others who will have a word or two: world champion Marc-Antoine Olivier is back, the Frenchman won the opening leg in Ohrid (MKD) and is going for another triumph, just like 2019 world bronze medallist Rob Muffels of Germany.
The women’s event will not be any less exciting: all three previous winners will line up for the start. Martina de Memme (Ohrid) and Giulia Gabbrielleschi (Piombino) both from Italy, and Jeanette Spiwoks of Germany (Barcelona) vies for a second win in the season. However, other aces are also keen to join the leading pack like the Dutch Olympic champion (in Rio, runner-up in Tokyo) Sharon van Rouwendaal, French world champion Oceane Cassignol, and Lea Boy and Leonie Beck from Germany, medallists at major championships in recent years.
The women’s race starts at 9.00, while the men dive in at 11.30.
LEN Open Water Cup, Season 2021
• Leg 1: 14 August – Ohrid (MKD) Winners: Marc-Antoine Olivier (FRA) & Martina de Memme (ITA)
• Leg 2: 19 September – Rijeka (CRO) – Cancelled
• Leg 3: 25 September – Barcelona (ESP) Winners: Florian Wellbrock (GER) & Jeanette Spiwoks (GER)
• Leg 4: 3 October – Piombino (ITA) Winners: Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA) & Giulia Gabbrielleschi (ITA)
• Leg 5: 9 October – Alghero (ITA)
