Singapore, July 19 -- Tian Muran fell just one place short of advancing to the semifinals of the 3km open water knockout sprint at the World Aquatics Championships, but she walked away with a smile.
"It was exhausting, fun, and thrilling," the 27-year-old Chinese swimmer said after her heat today.
"Everyone was fighting so hard for the top 10 spots at the finish." The event, making its debut at the World Championships this year, posed a challenge even for experienced open water swimmers like Tian.
She has competed on the World Aquatics Open Water World Cup circuit since 2017 but only tried the 3km knockout format for the first time last month in Portugal, where she placed sixth.
First introduced at the World Junior Open Water Champi...