MELBOURNE, Australia, March 24. THE longest of the open-water races was made a little longer due to Mother Nature. Still, Germany's Britta Kamrau-Corestein managed to endure the difficult conditions. One day after the 25K race was halted at its midpoint due to high winds that caused severely rough waters, Kamrau-Corestein prevailed in 5:37:11.66.
The race was postponed when swimmers were tossed around with ease and restarted with the athletes staggered to reflect their finish from a day earlier. Kamrau-Corestein didn't lose a beat as she edged the United States' Kalyn Keller (5:39:39.62) by two-plus seconds. The waters continued to be agitated by jellyfish.
Keller, in ahead of Russia's Ksenia Popova (5:39:51.51), has found open-water competition very much to her liking. Having left the University of Southern California earlier in the collegiate season, she's found a home with Club Wolverine, where her brother Klete is based. Now, sister Keller is a leading contender for an Olympic medal. The Beijing Games in 2008 will feature a 10K race.
Click Here to view event results PDF file.
