Polish Olympian Mateusz Sawrymowicz knows what it takes to compete against an international field of world-class athletes. He goes out hard, makes it hurt, and brings it home.

Except now he is going to do it in the cold, unpredictable waters of San Francisco Bay instead of the warm confines of a swimming pool.

But Sawrymowicz is going to enjoy competing in tomorrow’s US$10,000 winner-take-all RCP Tiburon Mile.

As one of the many dark horses in the race, ready to seize any opportunity given to him. “I expect to finish the race in the first half of the group at least, no pressure. That is going to be my first open water race since my youth so I want check my open water technique and have fun. I’m not sure how it will go, but I want compete with these guys and beat them if there will be a chance. It’s gonna be exciting experience for me and I want to take as much as I can out of it. I think it’s gonna be fast race as it’s just one mile but it depends of conditions, of course. I’m not a sprinter but have my confidence with distance swimming.”

Representing Poland, he has a competitive field to deal with along a course where no one really knows the best line to the finish until the athletes are halfway across. His competition:

* Evgeny Bezruchenko (Russia)
* Dennis Bowsher (USA)
* Vladimir Dyatchin (Russia)
* Ridge Grimsey (Australia)
* Aimeson King (Canada)
* Alex Kostich (USA)
* Ous Mellouli (Tunisia)
* Eric Nilsson (USA)
* George O’Brien (Australia)
* Chip Peterson (USA)
* Jarrod Poort (Australia)
* Kane Radford (New Zealand)
* Mateusz Sawrymowicz (Poland)
* Michael Sheil (Australia)
* Alex Studzinski (German)
* Richard Weinberger (Canada)

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