2019 U.S. OPEN WATER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
- May 3rd-5th, 2019
- Miami Marine Stadium, Miami, Florida
- Race course/logistics
- Start Lists
- SwimSwam Preview / Schedule
- Full Women’s 10K Results
In what was a tightly contested race through all six laps, Brazilian Ana Marcela Cunha came away with the victory in the women’s 10K at the U.S. Open Water National Championships in Miami.
Cunha was up at the front of the lead pack throughout, along with a large group that was originally 13 and tailed off to 11 prior to the halfway mark. She held the slight lead ahead of Haley Anderson and Erica Sullivan heading into the final lap, and after no one was able to break away down the stretch, it was a wild sprint between five swimmers down the finishing chute.
In the end, it was Cunha barely holding off American Ashley Twichell for the win, with Anderson touching third and Sullivan fourth.
#OWNats Women’s 10K Finish 🎥 ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/6TQolelwlm
— USA Swimming News (@USASwimmingNews) May 3, 2019
Hannah Moore of Wolfpack Elite was up with this lead pack as well, but was given her second yellow flag on the fifth lap and thus disqualified. Officials were unable to get her attention during the race, so she finished before finding out about the DQ. An official protest was filed, but the disqualification was upheld.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- Ana Marcela Cunha, Brazil, 2:00:00.17
- Ashley Twichell, Tac Titans, 2:00:00.67
- Haley Anderson, Trojan Swim Club, 2:00:01.10
- Erica Sullivan, Sandpipers of Nevada, 2:00:06.00
- Katy Campbell, Team Santa Monica, 2:00:13.55
- Becca Mann, Unattached, 2:00:14.65
- Mariah Denigan, Northern KY Clippers, 2:00:45.38
- Kensey McMahon, University of Alabama Swim Club, 2:01:10.10
- Chase Travis, Nation’s Capital Swim Club, 2:01:58.07
- Brooke Travis, Nation’s Capital Swim Club, 2:02:16.93
Since Cunha is Brazilian, Twichell will be named the National Champion, giving her three straight victories. Cunha is a nine-time World Championship medalist, including three gold that all came in the 25K event (2011, 2015, 2017).
As the top two Americans, Twichell and Anderson both qualify for the U.S. World Championship team in this event, just as they did in 2017. In the 10K in Budapest, Anderson was sixth and Twichell tenth.
Is there a place we can watch the livestream?
Does anyone feel Hannah interfered with the outcome of the race by not getting out?
I don’t think she saw either flag so she didn’t know she had been DQed
The announcers were talking about this during the race but it doesn’t appear that her 4th place finish interfered with Ashley or Haley or anyone else’s placing the last 500 meters or so because Hannah fell off from the top 3.
Can someone tell me what gets you a yellow flag? And what Hannah presumably did to earn hers?
Being needlessly or purposefully rough. I’m not sure what she specifically did though I didn’t notice anything.
Twitter said she was swimming on top of other people. Did it twice, first was a yellow, and then a second yellow.
It’s more than enough.
From the course… swimmers said there was cause for more than two Yellows. She earned that Red for sure. Officials said there was two for sure, and a few they might have let slide for the benefit of the swimmer.
I have to agree. It was quite bizarre how much she was clearly interfering. Maybe a rookie mistake since the pack was so thick today? Idk..but it was definitely obvious and the red flag was warranted..in fact she kept swimming after the red flag was given and continued to behave like that..
..Though, her swim was remarkable
Heartbreaking DQ for Hannah Moore.
What did she do to get 2 yellows flags?
Interesting. I’ve watched the video a dozen times and it doesn’t appear to me that the first swimmer to cross the line (presumably Cunha) actually touched the board. She may have but I can’t tell. I’m not that familiar with OW rules, so a question. If a swimmer does not touch the board how is the finish adjudicated?
She didn’t touch but I don’t think you have to. Can someone confirm the rules?
Pretty sure you have to touch. At leas that’s what I heard during the race briefing this morning.
You have to touch per the rules and you can see her finger tips touch the black bottom part of the board. It is def better to get your whole hand on the board so it is clearly visible but yes you have to touch the board.
Thanks for the clarification. And now I do see that her fingers appear to graze the bottom of the board. Just barely.
Doesn’t matter how, just touch it, that’s so simple.
you need to touch. it’s so strict that even if a wave wasn’t in your favor at the finish (ie the down curve of the wave) and you couldn’t reach the board and another swimmer were to pass you and touch it they would beat you.
She definitely touched it at about 8 secs of the video.
To touch the finish means that the swimmer has to have contact with it. And if you deeply observe, her fingers touch the finish wall on the below edge of it, so it’s a valid finish.