Angela Maurer earns top place in Women’s overall ranking: 10km Marathon Swimming World Cup – Part 5
After achieving a splendid silver finish in the Shantou leg, Angela Maurer was now headed towards the final stop of the 2011 Marathon Swimming World Cup series in Repulse Bay, Hong Kong on October 2.
With one gold medal and one silver medal, Maurer elevated to the top of Women’s 2011 overall rankings. She was very excited about the final race of the season and wanted to sustain her spot by securing a podium finish in the final leg of World Cup.
Being the final stage, the Hong Kong event attracted participation of 18 international open water swimmers, where Emily Brunemann, Maurer, Nadine Reichert and Yumi Kida were potential candidates for podium finishes.
Brunemann of USA, who won the gold medal of Shantou swim, had a wonderful start that placed her in a considerable lead over her competitors. She went full throttle and extended her lead from her challengers to remain prominent for the gold medal. Conversely,
Maurer had a slower start and she followed the lead of Brunemann, Reichert and Kida while heading towards the finishing end.
The German remained comparatively slower from her competitors in first half of the race, but picked up her pace in the second half. With her aggressive stroke and determination, she covered the lead of her competitors and joined the league of Brunemann,
who was swimming towards the finishing wall for gold medal.
The duo initiated a stroke-to-stoke competition, as they wanted to escape each other for the top spot on the podium. After an elongated battle, Brunemann picked up her pace and sprinted towards the finishing line to prove her mettle for the gold medal. With
her sensational swim, she escaped from the reach of Maurer and occupied the title of the event.
Brunemann posted a top ranked time of 2 hours, 10 minutes and 59.95 seconds for gold medal. She was trailed by German expert, Maurer, who remained exactly three seconds slower than Brunemann and seized her second silver medal of the championship. The 36-year
old Maurer crossed the finishing line with a timing of 2 hours, 11 minutes and 02.95 seconds for silver medal.
Her scintillating struggle in the 10km discipline put Maurer in a lead of almost five seconds over her following swimmer and team-mate, Reichert, who stepped on the podium for bronze medal by submitting a nice time of 2 hours, 11 minutes and 07.80 seconds.
In the meantime, Japanese swimmer, Kida stayed nearly six seconds behind her preceding swimmer and secured fourth position of the event. Her gruelling effort of 2 hours, 11 minutes and 13.65 seconds in the open water discipline was highly appreciated by
spectators.
The session ended after the completion of the race whereas the winners were awarded medals and cash prizes for their irresistible efforts in the final stage of the World Cup series. After scoring 98 points, Maurer cemented her place as the finest open water
swimmer of 2011 Marathon World Cup. With her unmatchable efforts, she took home one gold medal and two silver medals.
Furthermore, the Wiesbaden based champion comprehends that the open water competition will get stronger at the 2012 London Olympic Games. She also articulated her desire of accomplishing a gold medal at the upcoming Olympic Games.
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