Poort Produces Brave Marathon Swim

NSWIS distance king Jarrod Poort has fallen short in the 10km marathon swim in Rio, despite producing one of the most daring and brave performances of these Games.

Poort made all the early running in the open water of Copacabana, sprinting away from the gun to open up a lead of almost a minute after the first of four 2.5km laps.

And the Australian’s plan, devised more two years ago at the NSW State Championships at Penrith, almost paid off as he held the lead for the first 8.5km of the race.

It was then that Poort came unstuck and the chasing pack swooped on the leader.

He went on to finish 21^st.

“I knew I was fit; I had done a lot of work; everyone trains to finish fast; no one trains to go from the start; so I thought I would switch it around; it was a big risk…I think that’s sport…you have to do that sometimes,” Poort told the AOC website.

“I used a lot of heart…. just everything I had…I was hurting at the end. I could smell it…I couldn’t quite taste it but I just couldn’t hang on in there.”

“It was a shame. I am better than that but I laid it all on the line…I guess that’s sport; you’ve got to take a risk and it was a big risk and it was going to be a big reward…but that’s the way it is.”

“I knew the pack would be coming; they were just too quick at the end. I couldn’t hang in there.”

Murray Stewart has just missed a medal in the final of the K1 1000m, finishing fourth in the final.

Stewart qualified fastest for the medal race in the semi-finals and looked set to add to his London 2012 K4 gold at the halfway stage.

He made his move at the 500m mark and was in second, only to be run down in the closing stages.

“I didn’t even know where I was sitting (with 250 metres to go),” Stewart said. “I was just trying to race my own race. I didn’t look around too much.”

“I’m pretty tired, but I think I would feel a lot less tired if I had a medal around my neck. I definitely tightened up a bit over the last 100 or 150. I’ve been working hard not to do that. If I had executed a perfect race plan and finished fourth I think I would be a little less disappointed.”

NSWIS paddlers will be in action this evening with Lachlan Tame making his Olympic debut in the K2 1000m heats.

After racing in the K2 event in London, Naomi Flood competes in the K1 500m heats.