LEN Open Water Cup, Leg 1, Eilat (ISR) – Star-studded line-up for the season opener

 

Olympic medallists, world and European champions are gathering in Eilat for the grand opening of the season. The first leg of the LEN Open Water Cup promises nothing less than a top-level race, worthy of any major championship.

Before the pandemic, Eilat staged the traditional kick-off meet of the European season – but this year the event offers even more as the usual February opening leg of the FINA World Series in Doha was cancelled so a handful of non-European swimmers also headed to Israel to test themselves early on (the LEN Cup is an open event, participation is not restricted to the continent’s athletes).

This adds an extra flavour to the races as the women’s field will welcome Brazil’s Ana Marcela Cunha, the reigning Olympic champion, arguably the greatest ever female open water swimmer. She will clash with the continent’s elite including 2021 European silver medallist Anna Olasz (HUN), 2021 European champion (in relay) and 5km runner-up Giulia Gabbrielleschi (ITA), relay world champion and the 2021 World Series overall winner Oceane Cassignol (FRA) and European silver medallist Leonie Beck (GER) who won the last 10km event in 2021, finishing atop in Abu Dhabi last December.

The race will also be special as France’s Aurelie Muller shows up again: the brilliant swimmer won back-to-back world titles in 2015 and 2017 but her Olympic campaigns failed (was disqualified in Rio, missed the cut for Tokyo by 0.1sec) and it seemed she was done with open water swimming. Now the 32-year-old is set to launch a final assault to fulfil her dreams at home, in Paris 2024.

The warm-up events held on Wednesday morning offered a glimpse of what we may expect in the Cup. The open Israeli championships in 5km saw a French 1-2 with Caroline Jouisse and Muller in front, ahead of Hungary’s Luca Vas and Anna Olasz, while Oceane Cassignol won the 2.5km.

As for the men, the 5km race podium already featured the usual ‘suspects’: European champion and Olympic bronze medallist Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA) out-touched France’s world champion MarcAntoine Olivier (FRA) by 0.1sec (the same order they produced in Budapest last May in the 5km and 10km). Olympic silver medallist Kristof Rasovszky (HUN) followed them in 2.8sec, just ahead of 25km world champion Axel Reymond (FRA). Italians produced a 1-4 finish in the 2.5km with Matteo Furlan atop (he claimed medals in 25km at each major since 2015) – one cannot wait to see what these outstanding swimmers will bring to the Red Sea while contesting the 10km.

The starting pistol goes off at 8.00 (local time) in Eilat on Thursday – courtesy of the Israeli hosts, LEN offers free live streaming, and the results can also be checked on our website, just click here http://www.len.eu/?p=19251

LEN Open Water Cup – 2022 Calendar

Leg 1: 24 March, Eilat (ISR)

Leg 2: 13 May, Piombino (ITA)

Leg 3: 20 May, Alghero (ITA)

Leg 4: 10 July, Belgrade (SRB)

Leg 5: 27 August, Kiel (GER)

Leg 6: 24 September, Barcelona (ESP)