21 July,2009 02:23 PM IST | | AFP
Australian Melissa Gorman stretched out her right hand to snatch a photo-finish victory in the women's 5km Open Water competition at the World Championships today.
She pipped reigning double champion and Olympic 10km gold medallist Larisa Ilchenko by a fraction of a second after the Russian, who was actually marginally ahead, missed her initial touch on the finishing banner.
Ilchenko should have made it a trio of victories in this event but as she arrived at the finishing banner her leading arm came down just short and by the time she brought through her other arm, Gorman had stretched out and snatched the victory.
Brazil's Poliana Okimoto took bronze just ahead of Spain's Yurema Requena Juarez.
It was an incredibly close finish to the race with three more swimmers in close attention behind the leading duo, who were going stroke for stroke down the finishing straight.
Gorman, who finished 15th in the Olympic 10km competition in Beijing last year when Ilchenko beat Brits Keri-Anne Payne and Cassandra Patten in another close finish, could barely believe the result.
"I can't believe I've come away with the World Championship, it's my first time, I'm so excited," she told Rai TV.
"I've always dreamt of winning a gold medal at an international meet and to win the World Championships gold medal is so exciting.
"First I've got to focus on the 10km (on Thursday) and then I'll go home and enjoy it.
"I've always looked up to Larisa, she's been my idol in open water swimming so to be able to swim against her and beat her in the finish is incredible. I can't believe I got there."
