University of Tennessee Athletics
Heron Takes 13th in Hong Kong
October 22, 2014 | Swimming & Diving
Oct. 22, 2014
Tennessee distance freestyler David Heron and Associate Head Coach Tyler Fenwick traveled about 8,200 miles last week for Saturday's FINA 10-kilometer Marathon Swimming World Cup race in Hong Kong.
Between 19 and 20 hours in the air, taking a few days to adjust and acclimate in the East Asian metropolis, and competing against a loaded lineup of 51 open water swimmers from around the world proved to be quite the challenge for the Tennessee redshirt freshman, but Heron responded by posting a 1:56.23 time, good for 13th place out of 51--his fastest World Cup race time, as well as the fastest time clocked by an American open water swimmer.
"The water was 84 degrees and super salty," said Heron. "It was five laps of two kilometers each, which I like because the laps don't feel as long. During the race, I tried to be with the lead pack the whole time. That was my goal."
"That was a loaded field," said Fenwick. "It seems like every time he gets in the water in international races, he's learning a ton and progressing, which is why you do it. This is a progression. We went to that meet to gain experience and I think what David got out of this was that he can swim with the best in the world."
Christian Reichert of Germany won the men's race, followed by national teammates Andreas Waschburger (3rd) and Thomas Lurz (5th), with Brazilians Allan Do Carmo and Diogo Villarinho rounding out the top five spots. In a field which offered some physical, aggressive competition with some of the world's best open water swimmers, Heron continued to grow into one of the United States' up-and-coming swimmers.
"I was able to stay with the lead pack," said Heron. "I kind of moved up and down throughout the race. Going into the last lap, I was a little bit behind, but I was able to catch up and pass a bunch of people in the last 1000 meters. I was really happy (with the result) because I've been through so much over the last couple of years. These world cups are super tough, way more competitive than nationals here (in the U.S.)"
"Open water is kind of in its infancy in the U.S, so we're trying to catch up with the rest of the world," said Fenwick. "Swimming with the best in the rest of the world is a great opportunity and it's going to help him when he gets back to domestic competition. I think what we're seeing from David is that he has that potential and that's a big deal. I think this meet was a huge confidence booster."
As soon as Heron and Fenwick landed back in the United States earlier this week, attention quickly shifted back to Tennessee and NCAA swimming. The Vols open up the home portion of their season schedule next Friday, Oct. 31, against Indiana and Kentucky at 2 p.m. in Knoxville.
Note: Photos courtesy of Tyler Fenwick.
