Briton Patten denied gold

Eurosport - Sat, 03 May 14:53:00 2008

Russia's Larisa Ilchenko retained her 10km crown when she beat Britain's Cassandra Patten to take gold in the Open Water world championship in Seville.

SWIMMING 2007 World Champs Women´s 10km Open Water Larisa Ilchenko - 0

The 19-year-old, who is also the 5km world champion, clocked a time of two hours two minutes and 2.7 seconds, 3.1 seconds ahead of Patten and 4.5 seconds ahead of Spain's Yurema Requena.

South Africa's Natalie du Toit, who has resumed her swimming career despite losing her left leg when she was hit by a car while riding her scooter in 2001, claimed fourth place and ensured her qualification for the Beijing Olympics.

The 10km open water race is making its debut as an Olympic event in Beijing.

Reuters