Eilat’s North beach in Israel will host its first open water competition as part of the FINA 10km Marathon Swimming World Cup circuit on April 1st. Similar to the upcoming Olympic Marathon Swimming 10 km in London, the Israeli organizers created a six-loop course of a 1.66 kilometer laps.
The third of eight stops on the World Cup circuit will be another good test for the top swimmers to gauge their progress as they prepare for the all-important FINA Olympic Marathon Swim Qualifier to be held in Setubal, Portugal on June 9th and 10th.
Reigning 10 km world champion Spyridon Gianniotis of Greece has won the first two World Cup races held in Santos, Brazil and Viedma, Argentina. But the hot young Canadian Richard Weinberger, the always-competitive Russian Evgeny Drattsev, former 10 km American world champion Chip Peterson and German stalwart Christian Reichert will give Spyridon all that he can handle.
Among the women, the overall 2011 Marathon Swimming World Cup champion Angela Maurer of Germany will face off against a tough international field including world 10 km silver medalist Martina Grimaldi of Italy, the always fit American Eva Fabian, World Cup runner-up Nadine Reichert of Germany, and former World Cup champion Ana Marcela Cunha of Brazil.
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff. Note: WOWSA only recommends products or services used or recommended by the community. WOWSA does not receive compensation for links or products mentioned on this site or in blog posts. If it does, it will be indicated clearly on that specific post. See WOWSA's privacy policy for more information.