Olympic champions in the Tokyo Marathon, Brazil's Ana Marcela Cunha and Florian Wellbrock of Germany will race in Abu Dhabi this week in a star-studded field featuring the world's best open water swimmers.
The Yas Bay waterfront has been spectacularly transformed for the 131 athletes competing over the Olympic Marathon 10km distance and in the shadow of the spectacular Etihad Arena.
A mixed relay composed of two male and two female athletes each racing 1500m will be the first event of the FINA Aquatics Festival launching tomorrow. Although the sport of open water swimming traces its origins to the ancient Olympics, Marathon Swimming only became an Olympic event at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
A new event, the Mixed Relay (4 x 1500m) makes its debut in Abu Dhabi. A similar relay innovation was first introduced in the FINA World Championships 2017 in Budapest, but this is the first time that two men and two women will each swim the longest pool event in an open watercourse.
MIXED RELAY - 12:00 (Noon) December 15
13 National Federation Teams from Brazil, Canada, China, France, Great Britain, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Singapore, Ukraine and the USA
OPEN WATER STARS:
MEN's MARATHON 10km - 10:00 am December 16
Florian Wellbrock - Germany
Wellbrook, an imposing 6' 4" tattooed German swimmer, just two weeks shy of his 24th birthday won his first Olympic gold medal in the Men's Marathon Swimming 10km event in Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Wellbrock covered the 10km event in a time of 1:48.33.7 at the Odaiba Marine Park.
It was Wellbrock's second medal at the Tokyo Olympics following the bronze medal he earned on the last day of pool swimming in the 1500m freestyle. At the 2019 World Aquatics Championships, he became the first swimmer to win both the 1500m freestyle and the 10 km open water race at an international competition.
Wellbrock became the first FINA World 10km Champion to win an Olympic gold medal and will certainly be one to watch in the men's field in Abu Dhabi. Wellbrock will likely be the anchor of Germany's formidable Mixed 4 x 1500m Relay.
In addition to Wellbrock, Tokyo 2020 silver medalist Hungary's Kristof Rasovszky and Italian bronze medalist
Gregorio Paltrinieri will be among the field of 76 men entered in the individual 10km event. Seven of the top 10 finishers from Tokyo will be racing in Dubai.
THE STARS:
WOMEN's MARATHON 10km - 12 Noon December 16
Ana Marcela Cunha – Brazil
Brazil’s Queen of marathon swimming won the Women’s Marathon Swimming 10km at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games last summer, her first Olympic Gold Medal in the 29-year-old’s career. She is easily recognizable by the variety of colours of her hair.
FINA crowned Cunha the Best Female Open Water Swimmer in 2010, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019, and surely again this year. She is considered one of the best open water swimmers in history.
She owns 11 FINA World Swimming Championships medals. Five of them are gold, in races as short as 5km and as long as 25km.
Challenging Cunha will be Netherlands Olympic Silver Medalist Sharon van Rouwendaal who finished .90 seconds behind the Brazilian winner. The Dutch swimmer won the Women’s Marathon Swimming 10km at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Five of the top 10 finishers from Tokyo will be racing in a field of 55 female swimmers in Dubai.
ABOUT DUBAI'S YAS ISLAND
The city of Abu Dhabi, the capital and the second-most populous city of the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai, is located on an island in the Persian Gulf, off the Central West Coast. Yas Island is a man-made island that was once part of mainland Abu Dhabi, initially developed as part of the idea behind the Formula 1 motor racing events.
The first race took place on 1 November 2009, held at the Hermann Tilke designed Yas Marina Circuit. Formula 1 has recently announced that it has renewed the contract that will keep the race on the calendar until 2030.
THE OPEN WATER EXPERIENCE
Pool swimming, on tap this week in the Etihad Arena, is often regarded as a spectacle of perfection, with each athlete racing alone in his or her lane. In contrast, open water swimming is far less elegant, sometimes considered primal.
Athletes are challenged by the elements, sometimes a strong and often opposing current, a blazing sun, wind chop on the surface and unknown creatures they can see below the surface.
For nearly two hours many of the world's best athletes are pacing and racing each other, but the finish is almost always spectacular, with the results being measured to the hundredth of a second and often requiring a photo finish.