ffice
ffice" />
Open water assistant coach Steve Munatones has been checking in daily from the beaches of St. Kilda, and after an early-morning check of the conditions, he had this to report. Read further down for his day-by-day account of the open water team’s experience here in the land down under.
Day 8 - post-race
Date: Sunday, March 18, 2007
Location: St. Kilda Beach, Melbourne
ffice:smarttags" />
“I got hit in the lip,” said Leah who finished 17th in 1:00.58.5, 17 seconds behind the Russian gold medalist. “Someone pulled me down and others grabbed my shoulder,” said Chloe who finished 12th in 1:00.51.9, 10 seconds behind first.
“The pack just kept running into each other around the buoys,” said Scott who finished 15th in 57:36.9. “I couldn’t believe how rough it was,” said Mark who finished 17th in 57:39.5. “I thought the pace in the Tiburon Mile with a $10,000 first prize was fast, but this pace was even faster, for a longer time.”
The Americans were not the only ones who faced flying elbows, buoy bumps and constant physical contact during the race. The referee frequently blew his whistle at the swimmers in the lead pack, but no yellow or red cards were issued. In terms of strategy, experienced observers were not surprised to note that all the medalists in both the women’s and men’s races were among the top 5-6 swimmers throughout the race, from start to finish. Their lead positioning enabled them to minimize the amount of physical abuse they absorbed – or had to dish out. With the inaugural Olympic 10K race coming up in 2008, this aggressive style of racing is apparently here to stay.
After a day off in the schedule, the women’s 10K will be held on Tuesday, March 20th and the men’s 10K will be held on Wednesday, March 21st.
Interesting note of the day: The dive start off of the floating pontoon went off safely without a hitch.
---------------------------------------------------
A more descriptive recap of the events can be seen at www.melbourne2007.com.au or www.theage.com.au (under Sport which is one of the Australian newspapers). Quotes in The Age’s Sports page include the following:
- Kate Brookes-Peterson, the Australian bronze medalist: "My tactic really is to get out from the front. I was back in the pack for the first lap (1.25 kilometres) and I was just getting smashed around. Going around the turns I was just getting knocked further and further back so I just went up the side and got up the front and decided just to swim at my own pace. The plan was just to hang on there until the end, and I tried so hard but those Russian girls just came up the side".
Australian reporter’s accounts include the following:
- Allegations of tog-tugging from fourth-placed German Britta Kamrau-Corestein (who finished 0.1 of a second behind) were quickly dismissed. "Ive never been known for pulling," she said. No protest was lodged.
- Spectacular its not, but willing, bordering on violent, it is. In the brutal washing machine that is the start and on the turns, arms and legs fly with abandon.
- The start of the mens race had the best right hook in this city since Azumah Nelson fought at
- The battle for bronze was controversial, with Brookes-Peterson edging out German Britta Kamrau-Corestein by 0.1 seconds. The German then leveled allegations of foul play, saying the Australian had pulled her swimsuit in the scramble for the finish line.
- Brookes-Peterson denied the accusation: "I dont play dirty in the water, I just do the best I can, but when people are swimming over the top of you and pushing you under the water, if you let them do it then of course theyre just going to swim over the top of you so you have to fight for your ground a little bit."
Day 8 - pre-race
Date: Sunday, March 18, 2007
Location: St. Kilda Beach, Melbourne
At 5:20 am with sunrise still 2 hours to away, Mark Warkentin and the coaching staff took an early-morning stroll on the pier near the race finish to check out the conditions.
The verdict: calm with a very, very slight offshore breeze and no surface chop. Water temperature is listed as 66.2ºF (19ºC). The women will be heading to the ocean to check-in and pick up their transponders at 8 am, while the men will be heading over later.
Today, with the Formula One Grand Prix, the International Airshow and the 5K race going on, there are going to be a lot of fast cars, planes and swimmers in
More after the race.
Day 7
Date: Saturday, March 17, 2007
Location: St. Kilda Beach, Melbourne
The swimmers enjoyed a final tune-up swim around the 5K course in 67ºF water before practicing their dives off the starting platform. The attached photo shows the
The outdoor stage for entertainment has been built and the entire beach decorated with FINA signage. On Sunday,
The women’s race starts at 10 am and the men’s race starts at 12 noon tomorrow with a chance of rain and relatively strong winds forecasted. The
Interesting Note of the Day: Wind, Waves and Sunburn: A Brief History of Marathon Swimming is a book by Conrad Wennerberg about the history of marathon swimming which seems particularly appropriate reading for St. Kilda Beach in
Day 6
Date: Friday, March 16, 2007
Location: St. Kilda Beach, Melbourne
The Australian organizers told the 110 open water swimmers from 30 countries to expect a multitude of elements, including cold water, currents, wind and "aquatic wildlife." Despite the locals’ advice, very little could have prepared the American team for their morning workout today.
The wildlife included the Port Philip Blue Blubber and the Lion’s Mane Jellyfish which were blown into the course area with a rare combination of wind and ocean currents. This "perfect storm" did not sit well with many competitors. Many teams did not even get in the water. Some teams that did enter the warm just swam out to the starting dock, screamed and quickly turned back around to shore.
But the Americans faced their fears.
The two jellyfish types were big. Australian big. There were opaque white ones with big thick tentacles. There were brown ones with thinner tentacles. They were floating near the pier. There were washed up in the finish area. They were just sitting along the straightaway legs of the course. They were near shore. They were offshore. Some had washed up onshore.
But, fortunately, most of them were underneath the surface of the water, certainly out of reach, but close enough and clearly visible to cause trepidation.
Similar to the more experienced and hardy teams like the Greeks, Russians and Italians, all the Americans got in the water and knew they had to get through the workout. Scott, Mark and Chloe did a practice swim around the entire 5K course with coach Rose close alongside in an escort boat, while Kalyn and Leah preferred to be in shallower waters with Paul Asmuth swimming alongside. Scott, Mark and Chloe even swam through the thickest pod of jellyfish in the entire course. A few stings were experienced, but Dr. Jim Miller and trainer Jeremy Vail immediately treated the swimmers without problems. In addition to having a great source of conversation for years to come, the swimmers proved to themselves they are tough and well-prepared for anything that may come their way on race day.
In the afternoon, the 5K and 10K technical meetings were also held. The swimmers learned that they will be diving off the feeding pontoon, selected in random order, at the start. In the men’s 5K, defending world champion Thomas Lutz of