The Technical Aspects Of A FINA Race

The Technical Aspects Of A FINA Race

Steven Munatones 03/29/2014 Open Water Swimming No Comment
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

At technical meetings at the FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix and FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup circuits, official talk about the race details, discuss about the logistics and safety, and review the anti-drug policies and procedures.

SPECIAL RACE DAY UPDATE (SATURDAY, March 29th):
Race is going on in rough conditions. Feeding pontoon was changed due to the waves and surface chop. Coaches feed athletes as they stand in 2-foot waves near shore.

Anna Olasz of Hungary is one of the early leaders in the race in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. She is now a freshman at Arizona State University in Tempe. Even though she is a long way from home, she is greatly enjoying studying psychology and swimming at Arizona State University.

“I love it at ASU. It is different swimming short course yards, but my roommate from Iceland is a very serious and we are training well. Some people told me it is a party school, but the swim team is a very good group.

My ASU teammate will be coming next week to do the FINA 10K World Cup with our head coach. It is always good to train with someone so good and so serious. ASU is a great place to be.”

At the FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix race on Playa del Carmen, the officials explained about the 12-loop 1.25 km course.

“The race will be an in-the-water start,” said FINA Safety Delegate Petar Stoychev. “There will be about the 13-knot winds and waves up to 1 meter high. The air temperature is expected to be 28 degrees C and the water will be 26-27 degrees C, but there are no jellyfish or strong currents.”

Race director Ivan Torres described the course, “There are 5 mandatory red turn buoys and 6 yellow guide buoys. You can go around the yellow buoys on the left or right.”

Stoychev explained the safety aspects in detail. “There will be 7 Jetskis and 20 lifeguards in kayaks from the Mexican Lifesaving Association (Asociación Nacional de Salvamento y Rescate Acuático) and the Mexican Coast Guard will also provide safety outside the course. There will also be 3 ambulances on land and 2 medical boats on the water.”

Because the men and women compete along the same course with the men going first, Stoychev described additional aspects. “After the last male swimmer, there will be a boat with a yellow flag to identify the end of the men’s pack. 3 ambulances and 2 medical boats.”

Dr. Jim Miller, the FINA Medical Delegate, explained the anti-doping protocols to all the athletes and the technical meeting was over in an hour.

The athletes include the following competitors:

1. Gabriel Raul Villagoiz (ARG)
2. Aquiles Balaudo (ARG)
3. Damian Blaum (ARG)
4. Matheus Evangelista (BRA)
5. Samir Barel (BRA))
6. Jan Posmoury (CZE)
7. Jan Kutnik (CZE)
8. Baloun Karel (CZE)
9. Weertman Ferry (NED)
10. Marcel Schouten (NED)
11. Gyurta Gergely (HUN)
12. Andrea Volpini (ITA)
13. Simone Ercoli (ITA)
14. Eduardo Stochino (ITA)
15. Vitaliy Khudyakov (KAZ)
16. Tomi Stefanovski (MKD)
17. David Escobosa (MEX)
18. Alejandro Hernandez (MEX)
19. Mateusz Sawrymowiur (POL)
20. Ivan Afanevich (RUS)
21. Saleh Mohammad (SYR)

1. Pilar Geijo (ARG)
2. Romina Soledad Imwinkelried (ARG)
3. Silvie Rybarova (CZE)
4. Esther Nunez Morera (ESP)
5. Ines Hahn (GER)
6. Angela Maurer (GER)
7. Anna Olasz (HUN)
8. Melinda Novoszath (HUN)
9. Xeniya Romanchuk (KAZ)
10. Zaira Cardenas (MEX)
11. Melissa Villasenor (MEX)
12. Olga Beresnyeva (UKR)
13. Lexie Kelly (USA)
14. Vicenia Navarro (VEN)

Kiril Todorov, the Mexican Swimming Federation president, welcomed the international competitors with English and swimming passion as their common bonds. “We welcome you all to this beautiful beach at Playa del Carmen. “We are going to provide you with the very best. I am sure you are going to have a good time. We will make you feel at home.”

At home in the sea.

Copyright © 2014 by World Open Water Swimming Association
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