11th WMC Lifesaving - Amsterdam (NED) - Day 1
AMSTERDAM (NED) - After the arrival of the teams and the Preliminary and Technical Meetings on June 7, the first day of the 11th World Military Lifesaving Championship, which will close on June 14, 2022, took place yesterday with the Opening Ceremony of the event as well as the start of the competitions and the first finals of the pool competition.
The Opening Ceremony took place in Amsterdam in the presence of the Official CISM Representative of the event and BoD Member, Colonel Leonardo Oliveira; the Commander of the support division Defence Forces of the Netherlands, Lieutenant-General Verbeek; the PCSC Lifesaving, Navy Commander Georgios Margiolakis; the Chiefs of Mission of the participating Nations as well as high local and international authorities.
Colonel Leonardo Oliveira spoke at the Opening Ceremony to welcome the participants: "The best military lifesaving athletes will compete for several days and, at the same time, they will have the opportunity to stay together in these exceptional facilities, sharing meals, experiences, expectations and dreams. It is obvious that the Dutch organizers have done an excellent job in preparing for this competition, the cultural and social events. I am sure it will be a wonderful and unforgettable experience for all participants."
"Finally, I sincerely wish the athletes good luck: you are the essence of our organization and the heart of our activities. Enjoy these moments, compete with fairness, equity, and friendship. Be sure that the results will reward your sacrifices", concluded Colonel Oliveira.
After the opening ceremony, it was time for sports and ten competitions were scheduled for the day: 200m Obstacle Swim (Women and Men), 4x50m Obstacle Relay (Women and Men), Line Throw (Women and Men), 100m Manikin Tow with Fins (Women and Men) and 50m Manikin Carry (Women and Men).
In 200m Women's Obstacle Swimming, after having brilliantly won the qualifications behind her compatriot Alicja Tchorz, the Polish Paula Zukowska finally takes the second place in the final just behind the same Alicja Tchorz, crowned Military World Champion for the first time in her career with a magnificent time of 2:06.69. The Brazilian Carolina Athayde completes the podium at more than four seconds of the winner of the day.
The men's 200m Obstacle Swimming competition was a similar battle. It is indeed the Brazilian Kaue Carvalho who wins the title and the gold medal in front of the Polish Adam Dubiel while the positions were reversed during the qualifications. A second Brazilian, Miguel Valente, gave his delegation the bronze medal.
In the 4x50m Women's Obstacle Relay, Poland, led by Anna Dowgiert, a regular at the CISM World Championships, and her teammates Dominika Sztandera, Paula Zukowska and Alicja Tchorz, won their second gold medal ahead of the Brazilians and the French.
Kaue Carvalho, along with teammates Victor Alcara, Pedro Vieira and Guilerme Rosolen, wins her second gold medal of the day with the Brazilian team's victory in the 4x50m Men's Obstacle Relay competition ahead of Poland and Italy
The first Spanish medal of the day was won by Maria Luengas and Nerea Alonso, brilliant winners of the Women's Line Trow competition ahead of France and the host country, the Netherlands, while the Swiss team composed of Jonas Abgottspon and Gabriel Favez also opened their account by winning the men's competition ahead of France and Canada.
The Spanish Maria Luengas made a splendid double by winning the gold medal in the Women's 100m Manikin Tow with Fins in front of the Brazilian Thais Xavier and the French Lea Royer. In the men's competition, Poland triumphed again, taking the first two places on the podium thanks to Cezary Kepa's gold medal and Mateusz Szurmeij's silver, ahead of the Spanish bronze medalist Marcos Lobelle.
In the last competition of the day, the 50m Manikin Carry, France opens its gold medal counter thanks to the title of its swimmer Margaux Fabre in front of the Brazilian Priscila Souza and Thais Xavier, respectively silver and bronze medalists while Wojciech Kotowski offers to Poland its fourth gold medal of the day by finishing first of the Men's 50m Manikin Carry competition in front of the Italian Vincenzo d'Angelo and the Brazilian Guilerme Rosolen.
This first day of competition offered to the spectators a lot of high-level performances, suspense and surprises and we are looking forward to the second day of competition which will include the following competitions: 200m Super LifeSaver, 4x25m Manikin carry, 100m Manikin carry with fins, 4x50m Medley, 100m Rescue medley and 4x50m Pool Lifesaver Relay (mixed).
Highlights of the Opening Ceremony and Competition Day 1:
More info on the official Facebook page of the event.
(Source: CISM Media & Communication Department / Pictures: Dutch Delegation to CISM)
