After tansitioning from the pool to open water, the fresh air must have helped Xin Xin dominate in the women's 10km marathon swimming competition at the 13th Chinese National Games on Tuesday.
In the 10km marathon competition which featured 41 swimmers, the Olympic fourth-place finisher led from the start to the end and claimed the title in one hour 59 minutes 56.51 seconds.
Lei Shan of Fujian came second in 2:01.27.54, beating Yan Siyu of the Chinese Army at the finish line by 0.26. Tian Muran of Shandong placed fourth in 2:01.28.34.
"I like to swim in the open water because of the fresh air and water. I just swam at my own pace. I was satisfied with my result," said the defending champion in the 800m freestyle.
"I will also swim 800m and 1500m in the pool competition. I hope I can recover soon," said the 21-year-old Xin who placed 11th at the FINA World Swimming Championships in Budapest last month.
Lei Shan said she was lucky to win a silver thanks to her strong sprint. "I did my best and I felt lucky. It was my personal best," Lei said.
A total of 40 men swimmers will compete in the 10km race on Au
