Sports

Brazil’s Ana Marcela bags gold in LEN Open Water Cup

She won the 10 km race and came first among 31 competitors

Agência Brasil

Published on 24/03/2022 - 14:08

Rio de Janeiro

Ana Marcela, da maratona aquática, em Tóquio 2020 — © Satiro Sodré/SSPress/CBDA

Brazilian Ana Marcela Cunha on Thursday (Mar. 24) won her first gold medal of the 2022 season by winning the 10 km race in Eliat, Israel, of the Open Water Cup, a competition organized by the European Swimming League, or LEN.

Cunha, the only Brazilian among the 31 competitors, showed the best time—2:06:01.3—completing the course more than a minute ahead of the second place, France’s Oceane Cassignol (2:07:22.7). The bronze medal went to Italian Ginevra Taddeucci (2:07:24.9).

Five-time champion of the 25 km aquatic marathon world circuit, the Brazilian athlete has been gearing up for the world championship, to take place from June 18 through July 3 in Budapest, Hungary.

At the Tokyo Olympics last year, Cunha won the gold medal by completing the 10 km in 1:59:30.08. The 30-year-old swimmer also won an unprecedented gold for the country in the Lima 2019 Pan American Games by winning the 10 km marathon in 2:00:51.9.