SWIMMING: Rasovszky wins third straight World Series race on windy Lac Megantic

World 5 km Open Water champ Kristof Rasovszky of Hungary (Photo: FINA)

Still just 22, Hungary’s Kristof Rasovszky has become one of the most-respected open-water swimmers in the world. The 2019 World Championships gold medalist at 5 km and fourth-place finisher at 10 km, he was in Quebec to try and win his third consecutive FINA Marathon World Series race at Lac Megantic.

The course was changed for 2019 to a point-to-point route instead of last year’s loop course and the wind made for a difficult race. But it was no problem for Rasovszky

“For the first 2K, I was in the back of the pack to save energy,” Rasovszky said, “but it didn’t feel good for me. I wanted to know what was happening in the lead. After the 6K feed, I found myself in the lead. I don’t know how. In the last K, I had a lot of people around me. I started to push more and really show something to the finish.”

Rasovszky finished ahead of Italy’s Dario Verani (+1.8) and Hau-Li Fan (CAN: +6.4) and won his third straight race on the circuit and fourth medal in the six races held so far. He’s the leader of the seasonal series, but there are still three races to go.

The women’s race came down to a sprint, with Italy finishing 1-2 with Arianna Bridi taking her second win of the season, ahead of Worlds 10 km bronze medalist Rachele Bruni (+2.6) and Hungary’s Anna Olasz (+4.5). It was her second win at Lac Megantic, after 2016.

Said Bridi, “I had a terrible world championship,” where she placed 13th in the 10 km race. “I didn’t qualify for the Olympics [in the top 10], so now I want to improve my experience so I have to do a lot of races, change my tactics, and learn to fight.” She will have another chance for Tokyo, but for now, she will prepare for the next stop on the World Series circuit, in Ohrid (MKD) on 28 August. Summaries:

FINA Marathon Swimming World Series
Lac Megantic (CAN) ~ 3 August 2019
(Full results here)

Men (10 km): 1. Kristof Rasovszky (HUN), 2:06:46.3; 2. Dario Verani (ITA), 2:06:48.1; 3. Hau-Li Fan (CAN), 2:06:52.7; 4. Matteo Furlan (ITA), 2:06:52.8; 5. Guillem Pujol Belmonte (ESP), 2:06:53.0.

Women (10 km): 1. Arianna Bridi (ITA), 2:24:30.0; 2. Rachele Bruni (ITA), 2:24:32.6; 3. Anna Olasz (HUN), 2:24:34.5; 4. Caroline Jouisse (FRA), 2:25:10.1; 5. Stephanie Horner (CAN), 2:25:40.9.