The two Americans climbed as high as second and third through the first three laps of the four-lap course, maintaining a steady pace at the front of the pack throughout much of the race. However, the lead pack surged going into the final lap, with Warkentin and Kaufmann unable to hold onto the lead. Warkentin finished the race in 1 hour, 56 minutes, 15.28 seconds, and Kaufmann posted a time of 2:00:40.02.
“Those two guys went out there with a great attitude, and for 7,500 meters, they were in perfect position – as good as they could have been,” said Bill Rose, open water head coach. “It was a testament to their grit. I think they did what they had to do, but just didn’t have it in the last lap.
”You come here, you do the best you can, but there’s a long way to go.”
It was a photo finish for the gold medal, as Russia’s Vladimir Dyatchin edged out Germany’s Thomas Lurz by six-hundredths for the world title. Dyatchin finished with a time of 1:55:32.52, while Lurz crossed in 1:55:32.58. Dyatchin’s Russian teammate, Evgeny Drattsev, won the bronze medal in 1:55:47.31.
The Americans’ strategy was to be toward the front from the onset, which they were able to accomplish. However, Warkentin made an early move on the leader during the third lap, which seemed to sap his energy for the finish.
“Sometimes you just let the excitement of the moment get ahead of you, and I thought that I might have had enough to pull away from the group,” Warkentin said. “But I wasn’t prepared for the onslaught on the fourth lap, and I just got swallowed. It was a combination of getting overtaken, which is emotionally hard, and just getting pounded by the people coming around you.
“You can’t be too upset though. There are a lot of things I can do better, not just strategically, but also in training. I’m very confident for the 25K, based on what happened today. I know I lost, and I know I got beat on the last lap, but I’m going to do well in the 25K. It’s going to be a great race.”
Kaufmann said he missed his two scheduled feedings during the race – during the first and second laps – which would have supplied him with necessary energy.
“I took one of the gels I had stashed in my suit in hopes that would help, but I think replenishing with water or drinking Gatorade would have helped even more,” Kaufmann said. “I don’t think it was the whole reason, but it could have contributed.
“It was pretty fast most of the race, and the leaders were obviously doing most of the work. I think I used up my energy keeping myself in that position. When the group made their move somewhere between 6,500 and 7,000 meters, I fell to the back of the group, then they dropped me when they made their big push with a lap to go.”
After a two-day break, open water action continues Saturday with the women’s 25K. Olympian Kalyn Keller (Phoenix, Ariz. / Club Wolverine), who posted a ninth-place finish in the 10K on Tuesday, is scheduled to compete for Team USA.
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