Hungarian swimmer Kristof Rasovsky has won the 2nd leg of the LEN European Open Water Swimming Cup in Barcelona, giving him 2 wins in as many stops so far this season. In a pair of thrilling finishes, his win came by 2.2 seconds over France’s Jean-Baptiste Clusman, while the women’s race was won by less than 1 by Paula Ruiz Bravo.
Rasovsky is leading a new generation of young European open water swimmers to the forefront, replacing the aging generation of ‘originals’ who straddled the two sides of the sport’s 2008 Olympic inclusion.
In 2016, he won the European Junior and World Junior titles over 10 kilometers, and this season he’s snagged his first FINA World Cup win as well – topping the Setubal stop there, in addition to European circuit stops in Eilat and Barcelona.
He beat out 16-year old Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Clusman for the win, with Germany’s Christian Reichert 5.1 seconds back in 3rd. Reichert, the 30-year old veteran, has two World Championship gold medals in team events.
The women’s event, the home Spaniard Paula Ruiz Bravo touched in 2:02:02.1, which was .7 seconds ahead of Hungary’s Anna Olasz (2:02:02.8). It was a three-swimmer photo finish between those two and another Hungarian, Kata Onon Somenek.
Men
- Kristof Rasovszky (HUN) 1:52:32.6
- Jean-Baptiste Clusman (FRA) 1:52:34.8
- Christian Reichert (GER) 1:52:37.7
Women
- Paula Ruiz Bravo (ESP) 2:02:02.1
- Anna Olasz (HUN) 2:02:02.8
- Kata Onon Somenek (HUN) 2:02:03.4
2017 European Open Water Swimming Cup – Legs
- Leg 1 – Eilat (ISR), 26 March (10km)
- Leg 2 – Barcelona (ESP), 1 July (10km)
- Leg 3 – Navia (ESP), 5 August (7.5km)
- Leg 4 – Copenhagen (DEN), 25 August (6km)
- Final – Bracciano (ITA), 16-17 September (5 and 10km)
So amazing. Great sport.
Isn’t rasovsky a polish name. The poles are all over Europe?
Not the way it spelt. He may have Polish ancestry, but the guy himself is Hungarian.