Ruffini and Cunha Take 25 km Event in Kazan

The final open water events at the World Championships in Kazan were taken by Italian Simone Ruffini and Brazilian Ana Marcela Cunha.

Simone Ruffini, who finished seventh at the 2013 World Championships, took the event in a time of 4:53:10.7.

American Alex Meyer had a small lead over both Ruffini and Italian Matteo Furlan with one lap to go. In the end Ruffini had more than Meyer in the final lap beating the American by almost five seconds.

Meyer had a strong last lap considering he was suffering from gastrointestinal issue during the race. He finished in a time of 4:53:15.1.

Furlan, who won a bronze in the 5 km, earned the same colour of medal in the 25 km finishing in a time of 4:54:38.0.

Cunha, who won the 10 km bronze earlier in the competition, took the women’s event in a time of 5:13:47.3. Just like in the men’s event this race was extremely close heading into the final lap.

After the ninth lap Hungarian Anna Olasz had a lead of a second over Cuhna, but fell well off the pace in the final lap finishing in a time of 5:14:13.4.

Angela Maurer of Germany finished third in a time of 5:15:07.6.

10 km champion Aurelie Muller of France finished fourth in a time of 5:16:07.5 while German Finnia Wunram, who earned the bronze in the 5 km event finished fifth in a time of 5:19:02.5.

Full results can be found here.

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Anonymous
8 years ago

Not 100% sure, but I think this is the first time the Russians have failed to take a podium spot in the 5K, 10K, or 25K at open water worlds.

About Jeff Grace

Jeff Grace

Jeff is a 500 hour registered yoga teacher who holds diplomas in Coaching (Douglas College) and High Performance Coaching (National Coaching Institute - Calgary). He has a background of over 20 years in the coaching profession, where he has used a unique and proven teaching methodology to help many achieve their …

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