|
Brazil’s Poliana Okimoto Cintra and Ana Marcela Cunha signaled their intentions to be the faces of women’s open water swimming in the lead up to the next Olympic Games. Okimoto Cintra (1:58.19.2) touched just three tenths of a second ahead of her teammate (1:58.19.5) in the women’s 10km race at the World championships at Barcelona yesterday. |
Angela Maurer of Germany (1:58.20.2) finished a full second behind the winner to claim a bronze medal. For the Brazilian swimmers it was second medal for each at these World Championships. Okimoto Cintra finished second to Haley Anderson (USA) in Saturday’s 5km race, Cunha earned a bronze medal in that race.
“I’m so excited. I have been training for this medal, even in freezing water, I have trained for this race, so this medal is priceless. I am really happy to have my second medal in these World Championships. I felt strong during the race,” said Okimoto Cintra. Okimoto Cintra won two silver medals in 5km and 10km at the 2006 FINA Open Water World Championships in Naples, Italy.
Meanwhile, Olympic champion United States of America beat Canada 10-8 in a crucial Group C encounter. USA twice went on four-goal sprees — at the start of the match and straddling halftime — and looked impressive at 9-3 halfway through the third period.
Then the wheels fell off the USA wagon as Canada struck back, getting previously inaccurate shots on target. Stephanie Valin and Dominique Perrault gave Canada a 9-5 chance at the final break.
Emma Wright, the 17 year old who has already played two FINA World League Super Finals and excelled, scored either side of a Kiley Neushul goal for 10-7 at 6:37. It lifted Wright to five goals from two matches. Joelle Bekhazi converted a penalty and Canada was back in the match, with 5:43 to inflict damage.
Both teams took timeouts but both look bruised and battered from the conflict and neither could score, settling instead for 10-8.
Canada, try as it might, is struggling to gain a win against USA, losing the previous 12 matches — two of those by one goal in the FINA World League this year.
In the women’s water-polo, the power and physical presence of Alexandra Asimaki belies her size and woe betide any player who takes her lightly. Asimaki scored a tournament-high five goals to lead world champion Greece to a 13-7 Group C victory over Great Britain, a match that was undecided at halftime but had Greece 8-5 ahead at the final break.
Asimaki plays centre forward and dominates, making her one of the world’s best. She scored three in a row and two of those within 20 seconds, to take Greece from 3-2 ahead to 5-3 up.
Greece proceeded to 8-5 ahead with just eight minutes remaining and Asimaki scored her fifth goal on extra-man attack with a neat turn on the left post to lob into the right of the goal. That was 10-6 and victory for Great Britain was now out of reach. Christina Tsoukala, emulated Asimaki’s scoring skills, firing in four.