Two-time Olympian Haley Anderson qualified for her seventh World Championships team on Saturday at the 2019 Open Water National Championships in Miami as she was the second place American on the results. She finished third overall in the race behind Ana Marcela Cunha and Ashley Twichell but the former is from Brazil and so Anderson will get to swim the 10K at World Championships this summer in Gwangju.
The top two American finishers in the 10K would go on to qualify for the World Championships and the top ten at Worlds will then qualify to swim at the Olympics in 2020 so a lot was riding on the race out there.
Anderson talked about how she was more nervous for this race knowing what was at stake and how she was able to stay composed in such a tight race that came down to the finish after two hours of swimming.
Anderson also went through her preparations for the 10K and how she does not actually warm up for the two-hour race.
She will be racing the 10K at the World Championships and could also be adding a second event depending on what happens in the 5K tomorrow. She will also be swimming the 400, 800 and 1500 free at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, August 6-10.
Anderson was the silver medalist in the 10K at the 2012 Olympics and was fifth in the 10K at the 2016 Olympics. The 10K is the only open water event on the Olympic program and made its debut in 2008.
