BARCELONA, July 16. ITALY's magnificent open water swimming machine, Viola Valli, stroked to her second open water gold in as many events at these World Championships in Barcelona.
Three days ago, Valli won the 5K race. Today, the distance was doubled but the result was the same. Valli won by just over a second in one hour 59 minutes, 49.1 seconds. In second place, just over a second behind the winner, was Germany's Angela Maurer, while co-favorite Edith van Dijk of the Netherlands was third another two seconds back.
Erica Rose was the top American finisher, placing 11th in 2:02:02.5, while BRiley Bergen was 16th in 2:05:23.1. Twenty-nine women started the race and 24 completed the 6.2-mile race.
Thirty-three men started the race, with all but three making it to the finish, but at the end it was Russia's Vladimir Diattchine, third earlier in the week in the 5-K "sprint", who got his hand on the wall first with a time of one hour 50 minutes, 58.8 seconds.
Diattchine's margin of victory was almost eight full seconds as Germany's Christian Hein finished second, just as he did in the 5K. Spain's David Meca, back in competition after a drug violation forced him out of competition, was third in 1:51:08.4, just a tenth of a second ahead of Russia's Evgeny Bezroutchenko, the pre-race favorite in the 25K.
US swimmers finished 16th and 23rd. patrick Dideum clocked 1:52.24.1 while Daniel DeMarco touched in 1:53:56.6.
RESULTS
Women's 10-K
1. Viola Valli (ITA) 1:59.49.9
2. Angela Maurer (GER) 1:59.51.1
3. Edith van Dijk (NED) 1:59.53.0
4. Ekaterina Selivertsova (RUS) 1:59.55.9
5. Britta Kamrau (GER) 1:59.58.4
6. Trudee Hutchinson (AUS) 2:00.03.7
7. Etta van der Weijden (NED) 2:01.23.7
8. Paula Wood (GBR) 2:01.56.6
9. Silvia Guerra (ESP) 2:01.53.4
10. Ekaterina Zhdanova (RUS) 2:01.58.0
11. Erica Rose (USA) 2:02.02.5
12. Denise Schrader (SUI) 2:02.39.1
Men's 10-K
1. Vladimir Diattchine (RUS) 1:50:58.8
2. Christian Hein (GER) 1:51:06.5
3. David Meca (ESP) 1:51:08.4
4. Evgeny Bezruchenko (RUS) 1:51:08.5
5. Petar Stoichev (BUL) 1:51:12.5
6. Mark Saliba (AUS) 1:51:12.8
7. Gilles Rondy (FRA) 1:51:13.0
8. Damian Blaum (ARG) 1:51:13.8
9. Emmanuel Poissier (FRA) 1:51:14.0
10. Samuele Pampana (ITA) 1:51:14.4
11. Levente Nagy-Pal (HUN) 1:51:15.4
12. Simone Ercoli (ITA) 1:51:15.7