LAUSANNE, Switzerland, February 11. TWENTY-FOUR swimmers (14 men, 10 women) participated on February 10 in the longest race of the FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix 2013, a 88km-effort in Hernandarias (ARG). Local heroes Luciano Sales Rubio (men) and Pilar Geijo (Women) won their races, in a time of 9h39m42s00 and 9h49m53s00 respectively.
It was the first triumph of the season for Sales Rubio — fourth in Santa Fe (ARG) — and for Geijo, also fourth on the second leg of the series, and eighth in Rosario, at the opening of the circuit.
Among men, Damian Blaum, also from Argentina, earned silver in a time 9h39m42s09, while Saleh Mohammad (SYR) got the bronze in 9h39m42s11. Blaum had been third in Santa Fe, and Mohammad's best result in 2013 was a seventh place in Rosario. Medallist in Santa Fe (silver) and Rosario (bronze), Guillermo Bertola (ARG) was fifth in Hernandarias. The winner of the two first races also in Argentina, Simone Ercoli, from Italy, did not take part in this longer effort.
In the women's field, Geijo was followed by Russia's Olga Kozydub (silver in 9h49m53s42), and by Esther Nunez (ESP), third in 9h56m48s56. Kozydub had previously been first in Santa Fe and third in Rosario, while Nunez was the winner in Rosario and got the bronze in Santa Fe.
The race between Hernandarias and Parana was the third and last in Argentina. The series will now move to the northern part of the American continent, with the next three legs in Mexico and Canada, before concluding with two events in Europe — Ohrid (MKD) and Capri-Napoli (ITA).
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