Burnell and Muller take gold in Abu Dhabi
Great Britain’s Jack Burnell took gold in his first race of the year in a fiercely contested men’s competition in the second race of the FINA/HOSA 10km Marathon Swimming World Cup, held in Abu Dhabi at the weekend. Jack touched home in 1h45m54s6, the first in a field of 70 swimmers. France’s Aurélie Muller was the winner of the women’s competition, beating a field of 54 to take gold in 1h52m35s3.
In a sprint finish, Burnell, who was disqualified in the Rio Olympic Games, beat Rio gold medallist Ferry Weertman (Netherlands) and France’s David Aubry. Weertman took silver in 1h45m54s9, Aubrey bronze in 1h45m55s0.
The women’s race also ended in a sprint finish. Muller, who was also disqualified at Rio, beat Rio winner Sharon Van Rouwendaal to the slap board. Italian Arianna Bridi completed the podium. Van Rouwendaal was 0.1s behind Muller in 1h52m35s4, while Bridi took bronze in 1h52m35s6.
The next round of the World Cup takes place on 24 June in Setubal, Portugal.