Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

With the coronavirus pandemic continuing to cause problems in Japan, the second and final FINA Olympic Marathon Swim Qualifier was shifted from Fukuoka, Japan to Parque Urbano de Albarquel in Setúbal Bay, Portugal on June 19th (women) and 20th (men).

The first 10 swimmers qualified for the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim at the 2019 FINA World Championships. The remaining 15 swimmers will qualify in Setúbal Bay to capture one of the 15 remaining spots to compete in Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo Bay at the upcoming Olympics. The rules of qualification are as follows:

• The first 9 finishers will qualify. Only countries that are not represented by athletes who qualified at the 2019 FINA World Championships 2019 can send a maximum of two swimmers per gender. 
• Each country can qualify only one athlete per gender.
• In regards to the five continental spots, the highest placed athletes who have not yet qualified from each of the five continents (Europe, Americas, Oceania, Africa, Asia) will qualify.
• If a country has previously qualified one or two swimmers, the next highest ranked swimmer from the same continent, who is not yet qualified, in the 2021 FINA Olympic Marathon Swim Qualifier will qualify to ensure that each of these competitions yields a competitor.
• Japan will automatically qualify one man and one woman.

There will be 46 swimmers from 30 countries in a very competitive women’s race. The top athletes include Cecilia Biagioli, a 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympian from Argentina, Stephanie Horner, a 2016 Olympian from Canada, Samantha Arévalo, a 2016 Olympian from Ecuador, Anna Olasz, a 2016 Olympian from Hungary, Eva Fabian, a two-time world championship medalist from Israel (who previously represented the USA), Yumi Kida, a 2012 and 2016 Olympian from Japan, Michelle Weber, a 2016 Olympian from South Africa, Spela Perse, a 2016 Olympian from Sloveniaand Paola Perez, a 2016 Olympian from Venezuela.

15 swimmers will qualify at the 2021 FINA Olympic Marathon Swim Qualifier will be held on June 19th and will secure one of these final spots among these swimmers:

1. Majda Chebaraka, Algeria
2. Souad Nefissa Cherouati, Algeria
3. Cecilia Biagioli, Argentina [shown above]
4. Romina Soledad Inwinkelried, Argentina
5. Johanna Enkner, Austria
6. Stephanie Horner, Canada
7. Kate Farley Sanderson, Canada
8. Mahina Nicole Valdivia Dannenberg, Chile
9. Catarina Ferreira, Cape Verde
10. Alena Benesova, Czech Republic
11. Lenka Sterbova, Czech Republic
12. Samantha Arévalo, Ecuador
13. Maria de Valdes, Spain
14. Paula Ruiz Bravo, Spain
15. Merle Liivand, Estonia
16. Alice Dearing, Great Britain
17. Danielle Huskisson, Great Britain
18. Pac Tung Nikita Lam, Hong Kong
19. Tsz Yin Nip, Hong Kong
20. Anna Olasz, Hungary
21. Reka Rohacs, Hungary
22. Eva Fabian, Israel
23. Yumi Kida, Japan
24. Minami Niikura, Japan
25. Milana Boldyreva, Kazakhstan
26. Mariya Fedotova, Kazakhstan
27. Haeun Jung, Korea [withdrawn]
28. Jungju Park, Korea [withdrawn]
29. Maria Jose Mata Cocco, Mexico
30. Martha Sandoval, Mexico
31. Maria Bramont-Arias, Peru
32. Klaudia Tarasiewicz, Poland
33. Angelica Andre, Portugal
34. Stephanie Houtman, South Africa
35. Michelle Weber, South Africa
36. Anastasiia Kirpichnikova, Russia
37. Ekaterina Sorokina, Russia
38. Sofie Frichot, Seychelles
39. Li-Shan Chantal Liew, Singapore
40. Spela Perse, Slovenia
41. Pimpun Choopong, Thailand
42. Katawan Teeka, Thailand
43. Yi-Chen Wang, Chinese Taipei
44. Krystyna Panchishko, Ukraine
45. Lilian Hernandez, Venezuela
46. Paola Perez, Venezuela

The 15 qualifying swimmers from Setúbal Bay will join the following 10 finalists in Tokyo Bay on August 4th (shown below with their qualification time and place):

1. Xin Xin (China) 1:54:47.20
2. Haley Anderson (USA) 1:54:48.10
3. Rachele Bruni (Italy) 1:54:49.90
4. Lara Grangeon (France) 1:54:50.00
5. Ana Marcela Cunha (Brazil) 1:54:50.50
6. Ashley Twichell (USA) 1:54:50.50
7. Kareena Lee (Australia) 1:54:50.50
8. Finnia Wunram (Germany) 1:54:50.70
9. Leonie Beck (Germany) 1:54:51.00
10. Sharon van Rouwendaal (Netherlands) 1:54:51.10

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Steven Munatones

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.

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