Women’s Marathon 10km: Ilchenko wins gold in final flurry

(BEIJING, August 20) -- Pre-race favorite and three-time world champion Larisa Ilchenko of Russia put in a withering finishing burst with only 50 meters remaining to win the gold medal on Wednesday in the Women's 10km Marathon swimming race at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park.

Larisa Ilchenko gears up to the finish line. (Photo credit: Liu Dawei/Xinhua)

Ilchenko is known for her race tactics of sitting just off the feet of the leaders and moving past them in the final stages and that is just how the race panned out for the dominant Russian who won in 1:59:27.7, just 1.5 seconds ahead of Britain's Keri-Anne Payne.

Larisa Ilchenko poses with her gold medal. (Photo credit: Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Payne shared the lead for almost the entire race with British teammate Cassandra Patten who lost the battle between the teammates for silver.

Payne and Patten surged to the front from the start and led the swimmers through the first and second laps, stopping at the feeding station at the end of the second lap but remaining in the lead.

Joining Ilchenko behind the leading pair were Marianne Lymperta of Greece and Chinese swimmer Fang Yanqiao. The third lap saw the pack become strung out heading into the feeding station at the end of lap three.

The lead remained the same at the beginning of the fourth and final lap with the two British swimmers out front and Fang dropping back to the chasing pack. Ilchenko, on the heels of the two British swimmers, was joined by Venezuala's Andreina del valle Pinto Perez and Brazil's Poliana Okimoto.

With a few hundred meters to go on the final lap, Ilchenko drew up to the feet of Payne and Patten. And with 50 meters to go the smooth-stroking Ilchenko made her move and drew alongside and then cruised past the British swimmers to sprint to the line and take the gold medal.

Payne and Patten could not be split for almost the entire race but Payne snatched the silver medal in 1:59:29.2, with Patten winning the bronze medal in 1:59:31.0.

In a great sign for the future of the sport, the youngest swimmer in the field, 16-year-old Ana Cunha of Brazil had a great race and was in the mix in the final stages, eventually finishing in fifth position.

In an historic day for the Olympic Games, the first amputee to compete at the Olympic Games, Natalie du Toit of South Africa, who lost her left leg below the knee in a scooter accident in 2001, finished 16th.