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Dyatchin wins 10km gold in photo finish

Russia's Vladimir Dyatchin, top, touches the finish in a splash of water as defending champion German Thomas Lurz comes in to touch for second place during the men's 10km open water event at the 12th FINA World Swimming Championships at St Kilda Beach, Melbourne, Australia, yesterday. PHOTO: EPA

Russian swimmer Vladimir Dyatchin held off defending champion Thomas Lurz in a final sprint yesterday to win the 10km open water title in a photo finish at the world championships.

After almost two hours of swimming, Dyatchin and Lurz were separated by just 0.06 seconds on the Port Phillip Bay course off St. Kilda beach. Dyatchin won with a time of 1 hour, 55 minutes and 32.52 seconds.

Dyatchin's compatriot Evgeny Drattsev won the dash for third place, more than five body lengths behind the leaders, with a time of 1:55:47.31. Egypt's Mohamed Zanaty came fourth in 1:55:47.83.

Lurz, who won Monday's 5km race, was tantalizingly close to completing his second successive double after winning both the 5km and 10km titles at Naples, Italy last year. Lurz also won gold in the 5,000m and silver in the 10,000m at Montreal in 2005.

Lurz and Dyatchin have faced each other in close-run finishes before.

"Before the race I thought my biggest rival would be [Dyatchin] and it was, so after the race I thought maybe I should have started my sprint a little earlier," Lurz said. "But after the race you're always more clever than you were before or during."

Dyatchin and Lurz were forced to wait several minutes after touching the finishing pad to find out who won, prompting the German to criticize the timing system used for the match.

"It's not so professional," Lurz said. "At the Olympics it must be more clear."

Open water swimming makes its Olympic debut next year in Beijing with a 10km race.

Dyatchin, the world champion in 2003, made his move for the lead heading into the final lap and set the pace through the last leg of the endurance race.

"I didn't really see what was going on," the Russian said of the final meters. "You could say I was finishing with my eyes closed and I guess I just had more luck."

While the men's pack was spread out, there was still plenty of physical contact between the swimmers. And, of course, the jellyfish -- some as wide as dinner plates.

Several hundred swimming fans and tourists lined St. Kilda's famous pier for the race, enjoying sunshine and warm weather, in contrast to the patchy rain and clouds for the women's 10km race on Tuesday.

One St. Kilda resident was less than impressed with the newcomers. An adult penguin didn't hesitate to dive out of the way as the swimmers approached St. Kilda Pier at the completion of the first lap.

St. Kilda's stone breakwaters, constructed to shelter vessels taking part in the 1956 Olympic sailing competition, are home to several colonies of the penguins.

As the leaders upped the pace to finish the grueling race, some back markers -- more than two kilometers off the pace -- resorted to breaststroke and even backstroke, to get them around the course.
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