2018 MARIA LENK TROPHY
- Tuesday, April 17th – Saturday, April 21st (Open water Sunday, April 15th)
- Maria Lenk Aquatic Park, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Prelims: 9:30 AM Rio time / 8:30 AM EST
- Finals: 6:00 PM Rio time / 5:00 PM EST
- Long Course (50m)
- Brazilian Selection Meet for 2018 Pan Pacific Championships
- Psych Sheet
- Meet Central / Results
World champion marathon open water swimmer Ana Marcela Cunha and Olympian Allan do Carmo picked up wins in the 10K open water portion of the 2018 Maria Lenk Trophy on Sunday at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro.
This is the first year that the open water event counts toward the overall team scores combined with the pool meet, which runs from Tuesday, April 17th, to Sunday, April 21st.
Due to poor weather conditions, the start of the men’s race was delayed until visibility improved. Through the first lap, Alexandre Finco led the race, then Diogo Villarinho overtook him for next two. On the last lap of the course, do Carmo and Victor Colonese moved to the front of the group, with do Cormo prevailing for the win. Colonese took silver and Luiz Gustavo Barros took bronze. With the 1-2 finish, Do Cormo and Colonese secured selection for the 2018 South American Swimming Championships and 2018 Pan Pacific Championships.
Top 3 Finishers – Men’s 10K
- Gold: Allan do Carmo
- Silver: Victor Colonese
- Bronze: Luiz Gustavo Barros
“It was a very important and very difficult test,” said do Cormo (translated from Portuguese). “The sea conditions were complicated for the pace of laps, but I managed to give the final sprint to this historic victory for being the first Brazil Trophy and for qualifying for the two main competitions of the open water marathon season.”
The women’s race saw a showdown between 2016 Olympic champion Sharon Van Rouwendaal and 2017 world champion Ana Marcela Cunha. Van Rouwendaal and Brazil-native Cunha both represent Unisanta, as the Dutch swimmer signed a 1.5-year contract with the team earlier in the year.
Though Van Rouwendaal held the lead for much of the race, Cunha made a comeback in the final 1500, taking the win. Viviane Jungblut took third and was awarded the silver medal because Van Rouwendaal is Dutch. Cunha and Jungblut will represent Brazil at the 2018 South American Swimming Championships and 2018 Pan Pacific Championships.
Top 3 Finishers – Women’s 10K
- Gold: Ana Marcela Cunha
- Silver: Sharon Van Rouwendaal
- Bronze: Viviane Jungblut