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Storms wreck women's 25km battle

Germany's Britta Kamrau-Corestein celebrates after winning the women's 25km open water race at the 12th FINA World Championships in Melbourne, Australia, yesterday. PHOTO: EPA

They could deal with the jellyfish stings. But those hearty open water swimmers were no match for the stormy seas of Port Phillip Bay yesterday.

With wind whipping up to 75kph and towering whitecaps pummeling the swimmers, FINA halted the women's 25km race just past the halfway point -- the first time in world championship history that an open water race was stopped because of bad weather.

Britta Kamrau-Corestein of Germany had a big lead when the race was stopped just as the swimmers were beginning the sixth of 10 laps. She was the apparent winner, though FINA officials were still trying to sort out the results.

"I've never experienced that before," said another German swimmer, Angela Maurer, who was in third when the event was halted. "These waves were inhuman. I'm happy they called off the race. I never would've finished because it was so wavy."

Told that she might be in line for a bronze medal, Maurer seemed more relieved just to be on dry land.

"Of course I'm happy, but I'm more glad it was called off," she said. "After 5km to 10km, I felt I had already swam 25km. I knew it would be tough. I'm glad that the organization reacted in this way because safety is more important."

Heavy rain and stormy winds during the 25km women's 25km open water event at the 12th FINA World Championships at St Kilda Beach in Melbourne, Australia, yesterday. PHOTO: EPA

Until yesterday, the jellyfish had been the main problem for the open water swimmers. During both the men's and women's 10km races, everyone came out of the water covered in ugly red welts.

The final straw in calling off the 25km apparently came when a pontoon at the finish line, which the teams use to provide food and drinks to the swimmers as they come by, came loose from its moorings in the rough seas.

"The waves were unreal," said Russia's Natalya Pankina, the apparent runner-up. "I was being tossed all over the place, in every direction conceivable."

Still, Australia's Shelly Clark was surprised that the race was stopped. She said conditions were actually worse during her country's trials.

"Honestly the first thing I thought was `shark,'" Clark said. "I knew the conditions were bad, but I didn't think bad enough to call off the race."

Halfway through the 16-day meet, the most frequently heard music at these championships were a couple of ditties from China and Russia. Their national anthems are on a seemingly endless loop.

China hasn't missed a beat at the indoor pool in Albert Park, where its divers were undefeated in six events.

Russia's song is on near constant playback at Rod Laver Arena, where its synchronized swimmers had hauled in five of six golds heading into the final event last night.

"We like the competition and we like the fight because we can prove that our hard work paid off," said Anastasia Davydova, who teamed with Anastasia Ermakova to win the duet free.

Russia led the medal standings with 14, including eight gold. China was second with eight medals, six of them gold.

The US had barely registered a peep, with only a bronze in synchronized swimming.

But that should change starting today when the swimming begins. The US team arrived in Melbourne on Friday and got their first chance to take a few laps in the temporary pool at Rod Laver Arena.

"It's great," butterfly star Ian Crocker said. "I can't wait to see it when the seats are filled and they've got all the lights on."

US superstar Michael Phelps is swimming in eight events -- the 200m freestyle, the 200m and 400m individual medley, the 100m and 200m butterfly and three relays. He could win golds in all eight.
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