BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Olympic champion Oussama Mellouli of Tunisia won the 5-kilometer open water race at the world swimming championships Saturday with an impressive finishing kick.
Mellouli, who won the 10K at last year’s London Games, sprinted past his rivals as soon as he got within the ropes outlining the finish area.
He clocked 53 minutes, 30.4 seconds.
Eric Hedlin of Canada took silver, 1.2 seconds behind, and five-time world champion Thomas Lurz of Germany finished third, 1.8 back.
Already the first swimmer to win medals in both the pool and open water at the same Olympics, Mellouli is also the favorite for the 10K Monday. He is entered in three pool events — the 400, 800 and 1,500-meter freestyle — but won’t decide on those races until after the open water events.
