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Reuters
Reuters
Sport

Olympic champion Weertman wins 10k gold at Budapest worlds

17th FINA World Aquatics Championships – 10 km Men awarding ceremony – Balatonfured, Hungary – July 18, 2017 – Ferry Weertman (gold) of the Netherlands poses with the medal. REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Olympic champion Ferry Weertman added a world championship 10km gold to his Rio 2016 open-water title at Hungary's Lake Balaton on Tuesday.

American Jordan Wilimovsky, world gold medallist in Kazan in 2015 but only fifth in Rio, took silver and France's Marc-Antoine Olivier the bronze.

Olympic bronze medallist Olivier had won 5km gold on Saturday at the venue, some 130km south of Budapest.

Open Water Swimming – 17th FINA World Aquatics Championships – 10 km Men final – Balatonfured, Hungary – July 18, 2017 – Ferry Weertman of the Netherlands celebrates after winning the race. REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh

Dutchman Weertman touched out after one hour 51 minutes and 58.5 seconds in the water, making the most of his longer reach to beat Wilimovsky by a mere tenth of a second in a three-man dash for the finish.

The gold was a first for the Netherlands in the event since it first featured at a world championships in 2001.

Britain's Jack Burnell, disqualified in Rio, finished fourth and 1.5 seconds behind Olivier after being second at the halfway stage. The top six swimmers all finished within four seconds of each other.

Open Water Swimming – 17th FINA World Aquatics Championships – 10 km Men final – Balatonfured, Hungary – July 18, 2017 – Ferry Weertman of the Netherlands celebrates after winning the race. REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh

The women's 5km event is on Wednesday with the main swimming programme in the Budapest pool starting on Sunday.

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Neville Dalton)

Open Water Swimming – 17th FINA World Aquatics Championships – 10 km Men final – Balatonfured, Hungary – July 18, 2017 – Ferry Weertman of the Netherlands wins the race. REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh
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