Swimming: Open-water swimmers finish in top bunch

Christchurch pair Carl Gordon and Scott Sheperd turned in excellent performances at the Fina world open-water swimming championships in Honolulu.

They followed their top-20 efforts in the world 5km event last week to finish eighth and 10th respectively in the 10km race, seven seconds behind winner David Mecca, of Spain.

The New Zealanders pushed hard in a physical first lap to ensure they were in a lead bunch of 13 in the 29-strong field.

As the pace went on, Gordon and Shepherd stayed with the final 10 swimmers who fought out the sprint finish.

After nearly two hours in the water, Mecca, silver medallist in the 5km event, outlasted Bulgaria's Petar Stoychev to win by four seconds.

Russia's Eygueini Bezroutchenko, gold medallist in the 5km event, was third, a second behind. Second-to-10th places were separated by just three seconds.

Gordon and Sheperd were the second and third non-European finishers in the men's race behind American Ben Hanley, who was sixth.

The event was the first official Fina world open-water swim as the organisation pushes for the event to be included in the 2004 Olympics.

It attracted more swimmers than the last event, which was held in conjunction with the world swim championships in Perth two years ago.

Gordon and Sheperd's coach, Rainer Goltzsche, said: "We are very happy and proud of the excellent result our two young men achieved."

Sheperd had his placing in the 5km race changed from 26th to 18th after an appeal from the New Zealand team.

The women's 10km race was won by the Netherland's Edith van Dyk.