Swimming: Kiwi teen impresses at world champs

Rookie Alannah Jury produced a remarkable comeback to finish an unlucky 13th in the world championships 10km open water swim near Rome today.

Jury, 18 from North Shore, recovered from last place at the end of the first lap after her goggles were ripped off by another opponent in a rough and physical four-lap race.

Her coach Philip Rush said Jury's performance to finish 13th in 2hr 02min 01sec outstanding, with the time lost in recovering and getting new goggles costing her a top-10 finish.

Jury, who only took up open water swimming last year, has competed in only a handful of races and never in competitive international competition until these world championships in Ostia.

Her goggles worked loose early on the first of four laps in today's 10km race before they were ripped off by an opponent.

"It was clear that one of the other swimmers took advantage and ripped them off. It was a very rough race with big packs in tight bunches not giving an inch," Rush said.

"A number of yellow flags were issued as warnings against over-physical swimming. Alannah had to swim over to me at the feed stop and get some more goggles. She missed getting any food in her but pushed on."

The rough nature of the swim saw some swimmers withdraw, including yesterday's 5km winner, Larisa Ilchenko (Russia).

Jury caught the back of the 45-strong field at the end of the second lap, consolidated on the third lap and pushed hard on the final lap, forcing through on the inside to eventually finish only 24 seconds from the winner, Great Britain's Keri-Anne Payne.

"I have no doubt if it was not for that incident she would have finished as high as seventh. It was a champion performance, an absolutely outstanding effort," Rush said.

Jury, who went into the event ranked 30th, finished as the leading Oceania swimmer and the second highest placed world championship rookie.

Rush is in no doubt about Jury's potential.

"I am quietly confident about her future. She now needs to get experience back home swimming in packs in the open water, so we will look at some surf lifesaving races.

"And she needs to get out and compete on the World Cup circuit. If she can continue to work hard, then I believe she can be competitive come the London 2012 Olympics."

Payne, the Beijing Olympic silver medallist, was in the lead pack throughout, pushing into the lead 400m from the finish and holding off the late challenge from Russia's Ekatarina Seliverstova and Italian Martina Grimaldi.

The focus for the New Zealand team now moves to the pool with the New Zealand squad beginning competition on Sunday (local time).

- NZPA