Peterson, Sutton Win Open Water 10K, Advance Toward Olympic Selection
By Jamie Fabos // USA Swimming // May 19, 2007
FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. – Chip Peterson (Chapel Hill, N.C.) and Chloe Sutton (Roseville, Calif.) won the Open Water 10k National Championships in Fort Myers Beach, Fla. this morning, earning them qualification for the 2007 Pan American Games Team and moving both swimmers closer to Olympic selection. The Open Water 10K will debut as an Olympic event in Beijing in 2008.
Bids in three major international meets were at stake today. The top 15 finishers in today’s race will advance to the 2007 USA Swimming Open Water World Championship Trials, Oct. 20-21 in Fort Myers. The Open Water World Championships will serve as the Olympic selection meet and is set for April 29-May 4, 2008, in Seville, Spain. In addition, the top two American men and women in the 10K also qualify for the 2007 Pan American Games, July 10-15, 2007 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The top four men and women earned the right to represent the United States at the Open Water World Cup, June 4-10, 2007, in Seville, Spain.
Peterson, of North Carolina Aquatic Club, won the men’s 10K race with a time of 1 hour, 41 minutes and 18.75 seconds, while Sutton, of California Capital Aquatics, finished on top of the women’s 10K in 1:49:08.63. Both swimmers were the defending national champions in this race, and both won the 5K race on Thursday.
“I’m very excited,” Sutton said. “This year, I got both races. I had so much fun out there today. This 10K was definitely the hardest race I ever swam.”
“It was tough,” said Peterson. “I expected it would be a better competition today (than in Thursday’s 5K), and it was by far the hardest national open water race I’ve been in. When I started leading at the beginning of the final leg, I thought I was going to be able to break away pretty easy, but there were always three or four guys right on my feet.
Finishing second behind Sutton was Club Wolverine’s Kalyn Keller (Phoenix, Ariz.) who won a silver medal in the 25K in March at the FINA World Open Water Championships in Melbourne, Australia. Keller’s time of 1:49:10.46 was about two seconds ahead of third-place finisher Kirsten Groome (Baltimore, Md.) of First Colony Swim Team.
In the men’s race, Fran Crippen (Philadelphia, Pa.) of Mission Viejo who finished second in 1:41:43.61, just ahead of Santa Barbara Swim Club’s Mark Warkentin (Santa Barbara, Calif.), who was third in 1:41:47.27.
Crippen, who finished second in the 5K on Thursday, had already qualified to represent the U.S. in the pool in the 400m free at the World University Games, July 29-Aug. 18, in Bangkok, Thailand.
The 2007 USA Swimming Open Water National Championships wraps up Monday with the men’s and women’s 25K race.
Swimmers Qualifying for 2007 Pan American Games Team:
Men:
1. Chip Peterson, North Carolina Aquatic Club, 1:41:18.75
2. Fran Crippen, Mission Viejo Nadadores, 1:41:43.61
Women:
1. Chloe Sutton, California Capital Aquatics, 1:49:08.63
2. Kalyn Keller, Club Wolverine, 1:49:10.46
Swimmers Qualifying for the Open Water World Cup, June 4-10, Seville, Spain:
Men
1. Chip Peterson, North Carolina Aquatic Club, 1:41:18.75
2. Fran Crippen, Mission Viejo Nadadores, 1:41:43.61
3. Mark Warkentin, Santa Barbara Swim Club, 1:41:47.27
4. Noa Sakamoto, unattached, 1:41:47.65
Women
1.Chloe Sutton, California Capital Aquatics, 1:49:08.63
2. Kalyn Keller, Club Wolverine, 1:49:10.46
3. Kirsten Groome, First Colony Swim Team, 1:49.12.32
4. Erica Rose, unattached, 1:51:29.52
Top 15 Americans / Swimmers Qualifying for World Championship Trials
Men – 1. Chip Peterson, North Carolina Aquatic Club, 1:41:18.75; 2. Fran Crippen, Mission Viejo Nadadores, 1:41:43.61; 3. Mark Warkentin, Santa Barbara Swim Club, 1:41:47.27; 4. Noa Sakamoto, unattached, 1:41:47.65; 5. Scott Kaufman, Reno Aquatic Club, 1:43.10.69; 6. Dan Demarco, Long Island Aquatic Club, 1:44:45.50; 7. John Kenny, Germantown Academy, 1:44:52.74; 8. Andrew Gemmell, Delaware Swim Team, 1:45:46.06; 9. Cody Kaufmann, Gator Swim Club, 1:45:48.35; 10. Chad LaTourette, Mission Viejo Nadadores, 1:45:58.71; 11. Joey Pedraza, Pine Crest School, 1:46:05.31; 12. Tommy O’Neill, Long Island Aquatic Club, 1:47:27.66; 13. Charlie Rimkus, Mission Viejo Nadadores, 1:48:23.60; 14. Josef Kinderwater, WSY Swimming, 1:48:24.60; 15. Vincent Donnelly, Tampa Bay Community Aquatics, 1:51:28.13.
Women – 1.Chloe Sutton, California Capital Aquatics, 1:49:08.63; 2. Kalyn Keller, Club Wolverine, 1:49:10.46; 3. Kirsten Groome, First Colony Swim Team, 1:49.12.32; 4. Erica Rose, unattached, 1:51:29.52; 5. Leah Gingrich, WSY Swimming, 1:53:57.96; 6. Christine Jennings, Minnesota Aquatics, 1:53:58.78; 7. Whitney Sprague, North Carolina Aquatic Club, 1:54:00.58; 8. Micha Burden, Mission Viejo, 1:54:01.96; 9. Katie Ball, Gator Swim Club, 1:54:06.28; 10. Katelyn Martin, Magnus Aquatic Group, 1:54:10.20; 11. Meghan Leddy, Eastern Express Swim Team, 1:54:14.54; 12. Alicia Mathieu, SoNoCo Swim Club, 1:54:18.48; 13. Kelly Baird, Winston-Salem YMCA, 1:54:20.86; 14. Chelsea Franklin, Gulf Coast Swim Team, 1:55:54.45; 15. Caitlin Warner, Rice Aquatics, 2:06:42.11
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