Alexander Studzinski

From Openwaterpedia
Alexander Studzinski, elite open water swimmer and top professional marathon swimmer
Alexander Studzinski, German open water swimmer
Joey Pedraza, Trent Grimsey, Peter Thiel, Ridge Grimsey, Codie Grimsey and Alexander Studzinski at the Trans Tahoe Relay
Nicolas Masse-Savard (left), Alexander Studzinski (middle), and Joanes Hedel (right) at the FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup at the 59th annual Traversée internationale du lac St-Jean in Roberval, Québec, Canada

Alexander Studzinski (born 19 January 1983) is a world-class professional marathon swimmer from Germany. He has won a number of professional marathon swims from Croatia (the Faros Maratón) to Brazil (King of the Sea) including the 2012 German National Championships in the 25 km race. He also won the 2013 Henley Classic, a 2.1 km upstream open water swimming competition in the River Thames in England and the FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup at the 59th annual Traversée internationale du lac St‐Jean in Roberval, Quebec, Canada on 25 July 2013 and the 2013 Faros Marathon in Croatia.

Open Water Swimming Career

Studzinski's career has included the following:

The Gentleman Competitor

Studzinski, is a gentlemanly understated, but fiercely competitive, professional marathon swimmer from Germany. Often overshadowed in the media by his countryman Thomas Lurz, Studzinski is stars of the pro marathon swimming circuit.

Daily News of Open Water Swimming Interview

Studzinski talked about his career that took a seven-month hiatus because of a shoulder surgery in 2008:

Daily News: What was your most difficult race?

Studzinski: There are a number of difficult races. Some are tough because they are just so long, like the 88 km (54.6-mile) swim in Parana, Argentina. When did it for the first time back in 2006, I didn't know what to expect. I can say I was a bit scared. It's was a really long race. It took me 9 hours and 34 minutes to finish and I was fourth in that year. One year later I was second in 8:51 just 49 seconds behind the winner Damian Blaum and 20 minutes in front of Petar Stoychev. This race is crazy, because you are not allowed to swim in a pack like in all other races. After 10 minutes, the referees split the pack and you have to swim all the way alone. This is tough for your mind. You only see the dirty water, your boat and some trees. And all that for about 9 hours. Then there are races, like Traversée du Lac St-Jean, which are hard because they are so cold. I don´t like cold water. I did this swim three times and I finished only two times. But my body temperature was 29°C. I had some blackouts after the race. I did not know how I got out of the water and walked to the medical tent. I just woke up there under some blankets. But the medical treatment in Roberval is very good. They always take care of you. My worst race was in Chiapas, Mexico in the Canyon Sumidero. It was not long, it's a 15 km swim, about 3:30. But in 2007 when I did that race, I was sick before the race but I needed to finish well because I had the chance to get the third place in the overall FINA ranking. So I started the race anyway. But after one hour of swimming, my stomach hurt so much and I started to vomit. And after almost two hours, I was really hurting. It was such a bad experience. Finally I finished, but I was ninth and finished only fourth in the overall FINA ranking. This was a big disappointment for me.

Daily News: What was your most enjoyable race?

Studzinski: The most beautiful race for me is in Lac Memphrémagog in Quebec, Canada. I have done this swim three times and last year I was third. I like all the people there so much. They are so friendly. The race itself is a big big 34K loop. So you always know where you are and how much more you have to swim. The lake is very nice and every time I swam there the weather was almost perfect.

Daily News:. What is your most memorable race?

Studzinski: My most memorable race was the 2004 FINA World Open Water Swimming championships in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. I swam the 25 km there. The first and second place finishers (Brendan Capell and Yuri Kudinov) were far away [at the end]. But I was swimming at the front of the pack at the last 5 km loop. With just 100 meters to go I was third, but at the finish sprint Evgeny Koshkarov of Russia beat me by three seconds. This were my first world championships and I was ended up in fourth. So I liked that race very much.

Videos

External Links

Retrieved from "https://www.openwaterpedia.com/index.php?title=Alexander_Studzinski&oldid=548167"