Angela Maurer (GER), already an open water icon, has earned another medal to add to her FINA World Championship collection after winning the 25km at Ostia Beach. She is now the owner of eight medals from various FINA Championships - 4 bronze, 2 silver, and now 2 gold (both of her titles are in the 25km, the first of which she earned in 2006). Maurer touched home in 5h47m48, with silver medallist Anna Uvarova (RUS) finishing in 5h47m51, and Federica Vitale – giving the large Italian crowds gathered along the shoreline something to cheer about – took bronze in 5h47m52.

Thomas Lurz (GER) has won the men’s 5km open water race of the 13th FINA World Championships at Ostia Beach in Rome (ITA) and therefore successfully defended his world title from the Melbourne Championships of 2007. In fact, Lurz has swept the 5km event from the last four FINA World Championships (either general or World Open Swimming Championships) – winning in 2005 (Montreal), 2006 (Naples), 2007, and 2008 (Seville). Lurz finished with a time of 56:26.9, while his primary challenger Spyridon Gianniotis (GRE) took the silver medal in 56:27.2. The bronze medal went to a fresh face on the open water world stage – Chad Ho (RSA), who clocked 56:41.9. Italy’s Luca Ferretti took fourth in 56:44.3.

Melissa Gorman (AUS) is the first open water gold medallist of the 13th FINA World Championships after she defeated Larisa Ilchenko (RUS) in the women’s 5km by 0.5 seconds. As the 2008 10km Olympic champion and the 5km winner in every FINA World Championship open water event since 2004, Ilchenko was the natural favourite to win today. Thus, Gorman – a 2006 Commonwealth Games silver medallist in the 800m - jumped for joy on the shores of Ostia Beach when she emerged victorious from the water after a gruelling but successful sprint to the finish. Gorman clocked 56:55.8 for Ilchenko’s 56:56.3. After another hard fight for the minor medal, Brazil’s Poliana Okimoto (BRA) took bronze in 56:59.3. Yurema Requena (ESP) finished fourth in 57:00.8.

• July 21, 2009: 5km Women (11:00) and 5km Men (14:00)
• July 23, 2009: 10km Women (08:30) and 10km Men (12:00)
• July 25, 2009: 25km Men (08:30) and 25km Women (08:40)

Dates of competition: July 19-July 25
Venue: Ostia Beach
Capacity: 600 seats
Medal favourites: Men – Thomas Lurz (GER), Russia’s team, Petar Stoychev (BUL), USA team, Mohamed El Zanaty (EGY), Valerio Cleri (ITA), David Davies (GBR), Australia’s team; Women – Larisa Ilchenko (RUS) and all Russia’s team, Great Britain’s team, Poliana Okimoto (BRA), Britta Kamrau-Corestein and all Germany’s team, Esther Nunez Morera (ESP).