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Fina/CNSG Marathon Swim World Series - Sixth Leg |18 July 2019

Fina/CNSG Marathon Swim World Series - Sixth Leg

Damien Payet, Sofie Frichot and Simon Bachmann

Damien Payet gets Seychelles record with 66th place finish

 

Damien Payet has taken 66th place in the men’s event after 10 kilometres of open-water swimming in the sea during the sixth leg of the 18th Fina Marathon Swim World Series (MSWS) in Yeosu, South Korea.

He stopped the clock at 2 hours 00 minute 27.6 seconds (2h00:27.6) for a new Seychelles record, improving his old best of 2:06.40.00 set in Hungary in 2019.

Payet’s time was still 12:31.70 slower than that of race winner Florian Wellbrock of Germany who finished in 1h47:55.90.

A total of 73 swimmers completed the distance while Seychelles’ other swimmer in the race, Alain Vidot, was over the time limit and did not feature in the final ranking despite clocking a personal best time of 2h21:26.

According to reports, world championship organisers needed a photo finish to determine the winner of the Olympic qualifier on Tuesday as Florian Wellbrock of Germany edged France’s Marc-Antoine Olivier by two-tenths of a second to take the gold medal. The 21-year-old Wellbrock finished in 1h47:55.90, shading Olivier at the finish. Another German swimmer, Rob Muffels, earned bronze in 1h47:57.40.

Meanwhile, Simon Bachmann and Dean Hoffman crossed the finish line in 50th and 60th places overall in the 5km race on Monday.

Bachmann clocked 58:32.00 for an overall 50th place finish for a new Seychelles record, erasing the previous best of 1h00:31.1 belonging to Damien Payet since 2018 and registered in Israel.

As for Hoffmann, he finished in 1h05:33.50.

The race was won by Kristof Rasovszky of Hungary in 53:22.10, finishing ahead of France’s Logan Fontaine whose time was 53:32.20.

In the women’s 10km race, Seychelles’ representative Sofie Frichot crossed the finish line after 2h18:07.70 which was within the time limit. Her time which has gone down as a new Seychelles record over the distance, was 23:20.50 behind race winner, Chinese Xin Xin who completed in 1h54:47.20.

Following her feat in the 10km race, 22-year-old Xin Xin becomes the first swimmer to grab a gold medal for China in the history of the swimming world championships.

Haley Anderson from the United States was second in 1h54:48.10.

The open water event is being held at the Yeosu EXPO Ocean Park in Yeosu, a city some 100km to the south of the main host city Gwangju.

Races continue today with the women's 5km, followed by the 5km team relay tomorrow and the 25km races for men and women on Friday. All are non-Olympic events.

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