SINGAPORE, July 16 (Xinhua) -- For China's veteran swimmer Liu Yaxin, finishing 22nd in the women's 10-kilometer open water event at the World Aquatics Championships on Wednesday, was a satisfying result, marking her first attempt at the demanding long-distance discipline.
Liu, 26, who specializes in short- and middle-distance backstroke and freestyle events, took on a new challenge by competing both in the pool and in open water. She placed 22nd out of 69 swimmers with a time of 2 hours, 17 minutes, 26.4 seconds in Wednesday's race at Sentosa Bay. Paris Olympic silver medalist Moesha Johnson of Australia won gold in 2:07:51.3.
"For me, just finishing the race is a triumph," Liu said after the event, which had been postponed twice due to water quality concerns.
"At the beginning, my main goal was to keep up with the pack, but during the intense competition in the middle, I felt it was really physically demanding and started to fall behind," she said. "Although the water temperature was the same for everyone, I think it still had some effect on me. I just didn't have enough stamina, which led to me dropping back toward the end."
Liu will also compete in the indoor swimming events at the championships.
"There are nearly 10 days between the open water race and the pool events, so I think I'll have enough time to recover and adjust," she said. "My main focus has always been in the pool."
Despite her age, Liu has made significant improvements this year, setting several personal bests at the Spring National Championships in the 100-, 200- and 800-meter freestyle, 200- and 400-meter medley, and 200-meter backstroke.
"During the winter training, I saw improvements in my aerobic endurance," Liu said. "I worked well with my coach, and the overall training was highly productive. So I want to push myself further and make a breakthrough."
For Liu, the 10km open water race was no easy task.
"During the race, I kept questioning why I came here, and at one point, I even regretted it," she admitted. "But once I crossed the finish line, I felt it was all worth it."
"I hope the open water event will help me improve my performance in the pool," she added.
Liu is scheduled to begin her pool events on July 27.
In the men's 10km competition, Florian Wellbrock of Germany powered to the top of the podium, taking gold in the first of 77 medal events at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships. The Tokyo Olympic champion clocked 1:59:55.5 to outlast Italy's six-time world champion across pool and open water, Gregorio Paltrinieri, who finished just 3.7 seconds behind in 1:59:59.2.
"It was really tough today. I think it was the warmest waters we've ever raced in," Wellbrock said.
Also Wednesday, China lost to Montenegro 13-8 in men's water polo. ■
