Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. Paragon (noun): a person regarded as a perfect example of a particular quality. Paragon Awards (noun): annual recognition given to individuals or organizations for outstanding contributions to Competitive Swimming, Water Polo, Competitive Diving, Aquatic Safety, Synchronized Swimming and Recreational
We asked professional marathon swimmer Lexie Kelly from Long Beach, California a series of "What if?" questions. Here are her answers: Daily News of Open Water Swimming: What if you saw a shark underneath you at an ocean swim? What would you do? Lexie Kelly: I would get out immediately and probably have trouble getting back in the ocean for a while. I
Gotta like the professional marathon swimmers whose body position remains streamlined and balanced throughout their long swims. No matter what the water conditions, these athletes rarely swallow water when they swim…no matter what the water conditions are. Just look at the wave that is created by the position of the head, mouth and eyes in the photo on
While professional marathon swimmers lead an idyllic open water swimming lifestyle, many of them also work either full- or part-time. While balancing a strict regimen of training and work, they take off as much time as possible in order to travel the world and compete on the professional marathon swimming circuits. The tradition of working professionally
Yumi Kida, an Olympic marathon swimmer from Japan, is shown well-prepared with 3 gel packs stuck in her swimsuit before the 15 km FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix race on Isla Cozumel. The 27-year-old Kida takes a combination of hydration drinks passed to her from her coach as well as the gel packs that she takes at her convenience during her 10 km and
Competing in the FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix circuit is an honor and opportunity that is not available to all the estimated 8,500 active marathon swimmers around the world. But for those young and fast enough, the experiences usually rank among the most memorable and unique swimming experiences the athletes have had in their aquatic careers. Lexie
Angela Maurer is
back again and seemingly gets better year by year despite being twice as old as
some of her elite competitors.
The 36-year-old mother of one child, she
has a perspective on life that is cool-headed, calm and composed – which all
serve her very well in the chaotic cacophony of competition.
She not only
qualified for
Thomas Lurz is one well-known constant in the elite world of
open water swimming. 2011 was no different.
Thomas not only won his 7th
world championship title in the 5K, but he also won the FINA 10KM Marathon
Swimming World Cup series, the European 10K Championships, and only narrowly
lost the world championship 10K title in Shanghai.
Ana Marcela
Cunha had
dreams of returning to the Olympics after she finished fifth in the Olympic 10K
Marathon Swim at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The 16-year-old was only 5
seconds outside the bronze medal in the 2-hour race.
But she missed out
on her second Olympics by a mere 4 seconds at the 2011 World Championships in
Shanghai.<br
After races in Argentina (Rosario, Santa Fe and Hernandarias-Parana), Mexico (Sumidero Canyon), Italy (Capri-Napoli), Canada (Lac St-Jean and Lac Memphremagog), Serbia (Sabac) and Macedonia (Ohrid Lake) with one race to go in the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi), Pilar Geijo of Argentina is getting close to wrapping up the 2010 FINA Open Water Swimming Grand
