Open Water Nationals: Brinkleigh Hansen, Claire Weinstein Go 1-2 for Worlds Spots
Brinkleigh Hansen made a late surge to cross the finish line first in the women’s 10K at the USA Swimming Open Water National Championships.
She was not in the top three heading into the final lap but the 15-year-old from Saint Petersburg Aquatics used a push to earn the win on Friday in Sarasota, Florida.
Claire Weinstein led during the fourth lap out of five and ended up finishing second.
Mariah Denigan, who was first as the pack entered the final lap, was able to hang with Weinstein after Hansen passed them both and Denigan finished third.
Hansen, who won the 5K open water junior national title last year, and Weinstein, a 2024 Olympian, qualified for the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. Weinstein has swam at worlds twice, but in the pool.
Denigan still has a shot to qualify for her fourth worlds based on this weekend’s 5K.
Denigan finished third in 2:04.16, followed by Brooke Travis (2:04.46), Japan’s Misa Okuzono (2:04.53), Ichika Kajimoto (2:05.21), Team USA veteran Becca Mann (2:05.22), Abby Dunford (2:05.25), Emma Finlin (206.04) and Australia’s Madeleine Gough (2:06.55), rounded out the top 10.
In the men’s open water 10K race, Ivan Puskovitch took the lead ahead of Australian Kyle Lee on the fourth lap of five and hung with a group of five swimmers, including Joey Tepper entering the final lap.
Lee surged back and took the win, overtaking fellow Aussie Thomas Raymond.
The top two U.S. spots went to Dylan Gravely and Tepper, who finished 3-4 in the race overall ahead of Puskovitch.
The top two Americans in the race automatically qualified for the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore.
Lee and Raymond both crossed the finish line in 1:53.38. Gravely was at 1:53.40, followed by Tepper at 1:53.41.
Pushkovitch was fifth in 1:53.43, followed by Charles Clark (1:54.04), William Siegel (1:54.26), Japan’s Kaiki Furuhata (1:54.26) and Taishin Minamide (1:54.43) and Eric Brown (1:54.43), rounded out the top 10.