Dyson top-12 in European champs Marathon swim

[Article images courtesy of Antonella Mannara/European Aquatics]

Wycombe District SC-trained swimmer, Ella Dyson came into the contest in Stari Grad on the back of a top-five finish earlier this month at the European Aquatics Open Water Cup in Protaras, Cyprus and similarly looked to stay course with the early pace-setters in this Women’s 10km European Championships race.

Going through the first three laps of the 1.66km course, Dyson was sitting well-positioned in eighth place at the halfway mark – and she continued to maintain that spot in the front pack and stay within relative striking distance of the leaders until the closing 1km.

However, the pace in the final portion of the race witnessed Dyson cut adrift of the medal challenge on this occasion - ultimately hitting the touchpad in 12th overall in a time of 1:58:40.32 to mark her best result in a major senior championships to date.

In the men’s race Hector Pardoe placed 18th after a toiling afternoon in Croatian waters. The Loughborough University swimmer made a real effort to close the gap to within ten seconds at the 5km point, but could not sustain his hold on the front pack and found himself swimming the final lap solo to complete the distance.

British athletes Leah Crisp and Sean McCann both withdrew from competition in their respective 10km races before the halfway mark.

Extended details of the European Championships, including results and live streaming playback can be found on the European Aquatics website.