PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico, April 28. LUIS Escobar and Alejandra Gonzalez won the inaugural 10K races at the Mexican nationals Tuesday, despite high swells and cloudy skies.
Escobar, a competitor in the 2008 Olympic 10K swim, won the men’s event in two hours, 11 minutes and 23.25 seconds. Escobar was not seriously challenged throughout the race, finishing about seven seconds ahead of Rodrigo Elorza and 90 seconds ahead of third place finisher Ivan Lopez. The win put Escobar on the team traveling to the 2010 open water world championships in Roberval, Canada, but Escobar declined selection, opting instead to compete at this summer’s Central American and Caribbean Games in Puerto Rico. Escobar will race the 800 and 1500 freestyles there.
On the women’s side, Gonzalez won the 10K race by four seconds over Zaira Cardenas in a time of 2:20:01.07. In third place was Odette Saldivar in 20:20:44.82. The win also gave Gonzalez a spot on the open water world team.
Below is a roster of the Mexican team attending the world championships:
Men
Manuel Chiu (5K), Rodrigo Elorza (10K), and Ivan Lopez (10K)
Women
Zaira Cardenas (10K), Alejandra Gonzalez (10K) and Odette Saldivar (5K)