GORMAN'S MIDAS TOUCH SINKS RUSSIAN LEGEND

ROME, July 22: It took Melissa Gorman just under 57 minutes to turn around Australia's international sporting fortunes in Rome today when the 23-year-old Queenslander triumphed in the five kilometre open water event at the FINA World Championships here today. IAN HANSON reports from Ostia Beach....

With the Wallabies falling to the All Blacks and the Australian Cricketers on struggle street in their quest for the Ashes, Gorman showed some good old-fashioned Aussie grit to 'out touch' Russia's reigning Olympic and eight-time world champion, Larisa Ilchenko in a frantic finish.

Gorman, making her international 5km debut, had led for 4,900 metres of the course, when Ilchenko, unbeaten over the distance since 2004, made her move.

She had tapped at Gorman's heels until 100m from the finish and it looked almost certain that the most celebrated open water swimmer in FINA's history would add gold medal number nine.

But the tough, determined Gorman had other ideas in a stroke-for-stroke dash over the final stages.

With the words of National Open Water Head Coach Greg Towle, ringing in her ears, Gorman produced a perfect lunge finish to win Australia's first FINA world championship since Brendan Capell in 2004 and the first woman to win gold since Melissa Cunningham in Rome in 1994.

"I said to her, Mel, don't forget to lunge at the finish, and she did!" said a jubilant Towle.

"I'm so proud of her. She has made all the necessary little changes since the Olympics and has worked so hard under coach Ken Wood."

Gorman admitted she had no idea she had won the gold medal when she hit the finish banner.

"I knew Larisa would come at me towards the finish and I was prepared to do what ever it took to get there first, but it wasn't until I looked up at the official who gave me the nod that I knew I had won it.

"I knew I had done the work and I just had to hang in there, I just put my head down and gave it everything I had to hold on.

"My plan was to swim as easy as I could through the first half of the race and build over the second lap, saving something for the finish.

"To nail the finish is so important and that was on my mind for sure as we swam towards the end.

In the end it was Gorman who came back to win the gold by just half-a-second in a time of 56 minutes 55.8 seconds from Ilchenko (56:56.3) with Brazil?s Poliana Okimoto (56.59.3) taking the bronze.

Australia's second competitor, 2007 bronze medallist Kate Brookes-Peterson also put up a brave fight to finish eighth in 57.42.7.

"The pace was just too quick for me, I couldn't stay in touch with the girls in that first lap and when I tried to swim out of the pack I just used up so much energy, but I fought hard to keep the American girls at bay," said Brookes-Peterson.

Gorman's greatest supporter, her mum Kerrie was beachside to support their daughter, who will back up for tomorrow's 10km event before joining the Dolphins pool team for the 1500m and 800m freestyle events.

Kerrie broke ranks and was the first person to hug her daughter in an emotional scene on the water's edge when Gorman emerged from the water.

Gorman, who finished 15th at last year's Beijing Olympics led through the first two-and-half kilometre lap in the perfect millpond conditions.

The Ken Wood-trained university student from Redcliffe stayed out of trouble as the 70-strong field navigated themselves around the course.

She took a feeding gell after 25 minutes, momentarily allowing the chase pack to feel her feet, but she was again happy to take control of the race as the field set off for the second lap.

She was chased all the way by one of the sport's most decorated stars, Olympic 10km champion Larisa Ilchenko, the winner of five FINA World 5km titles between 2004 and 2008 and the winner of three 10km championships in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Swimming in a Speedo LZR leg suit, Gorman upped her rating after three kilometres with the next six swimmers, working together, never more than five metres in her wake.

A flotilla of event and leisure craft followed the field along the vast Ostia shoreline, packed with thousands of tourists here for the Italian summer.

And it was a special day in the life of the young Australian girl, who only started serious open water swimming 18 months ago.

 

Swimming - Open Water
Women
5k
1 Melissa Gorman	AUS	56:55.8
2 Larisa Ilchenko	RUS	56:56.3
3 Poliana Okimoto	BRA	56:59.3
4 Yurema Requena Juarez	ESP	57:00.8
5 Ekatarina Seliverstova	RUS	57:04.7
6 Kristel Kobrich Schimpl	CHI	57:17.1
7 Andreina Pinto Perez	VEN	57:29.4
8 Kate Brookes-Peterson	AUS	57:42.7

Photographs by: Patrick B Kraemer www.magicpbk.com