USA Swimming Women Add Two Golds on Day Two of 2024 World Aquatics Open Water Swimming Junior World Championships
Olympic silver medalist Claire Weinstein (White Plains, N.Y./Sandpipers of Nevada) and teammate Brinkleigh Hansen (Saint Petersburg, Fla./Sant Petersburg Aquatics) added two golds to the U.S. total on day two of the 2024 World Aquatics Open Water Swimming Junior World Championships.
In the first event of the day and in her international debut, Hansen went 1:03:05.30 in the women’s 5-kilometer to earn gold by almost four seconds. Later in the session, Weinstein clinched gold in the women’s 7.5k, marking her third open water title in the last two years. Daisy Collins (Chapel Hill, N.C./North Carolina Aquatic Club) narrowly missed the podium in the women’s 7.5k, touching fourth with a time of 1:25:50.70. Joining Hansen in the women’s 5k was Alex Siegel (Garden City, N.Y./Long Island Aquatic Club), who finished eighth with a time of 1:04:33.30.
Colin Jacobs (Bradenton, Fla./Sarasota Sharks) was the only American in the men’s 7.5k, placing 18th. In the men’s 5k, Nicholas Liberty (Olney, Md./Rockville Montgomery Swim Club) also finished 18th, while Griffin Cagle (Concord, N.C./SwimMAC Carolina) placed 26th.
Women’s 5K – FINAL
GOLD – Brinkleigh Hansen (Saint Petersburg, Fla./Sant Petersburg Aquatics), 1:03:05.30
8 – Alex Siegel (Garden City, N.Y./Long Island Aquatic Club), 1:04:33.30
Hansen on her move from second to first: “I just believed in myself and was telling myself, ‘I know I can do this; this is what I’ve trained for.’ I wanted to put that to the test and see how much I could catch up…and I caught up. I am really happy.”
Hansen on her first international race: “There is no better feeling than wearing that USA cap and supporting Team USA. It was a really hard race, but I enjoyed it because of all the people I was racing. Everyone has been so nice and supportive.”
Men’s 5K – FINAL
18 – Nicholas Liberty (Olney, Md./Rockville Montgomery Swim Club), 1:01:32.80
26 – Griffin Cagle (Concord, N.C./SwimMAC Carolina), 1:03:13.30
Women’s 7.5K – FINAL
GOLD – Claire Weinstein (White Plains, N.Y./Sandpipers of Nevada), 1:25:43.30
4 – Daisy Collins (Chapel Hill, N.C./North Carolina Aquatic Club), 1:25:50.70
Weinstein on her race: “I’m glad I was able to put up the win for Team USA. I knew it was going to be hard at the end because I was out in front for most of the race. I was just trying to get my hand on the wall first and I’m glad it turned out that way.”
Weinstein on the women claiming gold in both individual races today: “It means a lot to see everyone swim so well. I try to help the younger girls as much as possible. The results today show the trajectory that America has in this sport. I’m really excited for the future.”
Men’s 7.5K – FINAL
18 – Colin Jacobs (Bradenton, Fla./Sarasota Sharks), 1:22:34.10
The competition continues through Sunday, September 8 in Alghero, Italy. Tomorrow’s finals feature the women’s and men’s 3K knockout sprint. Events begin at 9 a.m. CEST/3 a.m. ET. Competition can be streamed on World Aquatics’ YouTube Channel, while additional information can be found here.
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