The marathon swimming competitions at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro took place on 15 and 16 August. The women's open-water marathon was held on August 15, and the men's open water race on August 16 in Fort Copacabana.
Open water quality The location for open-water events was a source of concern for athletes since scientists have found microbes in the waters off of Fort Copacabana and drug-resistant super bacteria off the beaches of Rio de Janeiro in 2014 and 2016 studies due to the daily dumping of hospital waste and household raw sewage into the rivers and ocean. Ten percent of the Copacabana water test samples contained drug-resistant super bacteria. However, during the races the water quality was good.
Events
Similar to the program's format in 2012, marathon swimming features a total of 2 events (1 each for men and women), consisting of two 10 km open-water marathons.
Schedule
Both events started at 9:00 am local time, with the women's event on 15 August and the men's event on 16 August.
Qualification
FINA By-Law BL 9.3.7.5.3 laid out the qualification procedures for the "Marathon swimming" competition at the Olympics. Each country is allowed to enter up to two swimmers per individual event (provided they qualify).
The men's and women's 10 km races at the 2016 Summer Olympics featured 25 swimmers: 10: the top-10 finishers in the 10 km races at the 2015 World Championships 9: the top-9 finishers at the 2016 Olympic Marathon Swim Qualifier (June 11–12, 2016 in Setúbal, Portugal) 5: one representative from each FINA continent (Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania). (These have been selected based on the finishes at the qualifying race in Setúbal.) 1: from the host nation (Brazil) if not qualified by other means. If Brazil already contained a qualifier in the race, this spot had been allocated back into the general pool from the 2016 Olympic qualifier race.
Timeline Event Date Venue 2015 World Aquatics Championships 24 July – 9 August 2015 Kazan 2016 FINA Olympic Marathon Swim Qualifier 11–12 June 2016 SetúbalRe-allocation of unused quota 12–18 June 2016 –
Men's 10 km marathon Qualification event No. of athletes Qualified athletes2015 World Championships102016 Olympic Marathon Swim Qualifier10°Continental Qualifier5 Total 25 ° Unused host quota place ^ Unused continental quota place
Women's 10 km marathon Qualification event No. of athletes Qualified athletes2015 World Championships102016 Olympic Marathon Swim Qualifier10°^Continental Qualifier5 Total 25
° Unused host quota place ^ Unused continental quota place
Participation Participating nations Brazil, as the host country, receives guaranteed quota place in case it would not qualify any qualification places.
Medal summary Medal table
Men's events 10 km open water 1:52:59.8 1:53:00.5 1:53:02.0
Women's events 10 km open water 1:56:32.1 1:56:49.5 1:56:51.4
References
External links
Results Book – Marathon Swimming