Not resting on her laurels: Rachele Bruni wants to win the Hong Kong leg of the Fina/Hosa 10km swimming World Cup
Italian, who missed out on a medal at the world championships in Kazan, Russia has already won the title but she wants to finish on a high at Repulse Bay
Overall champion Rachele Bruni of Italy is looking to finish the Fina/Hosa 10km Marathon Swimming World Cup season on a high at Repulse Bay on Saturday.
Having won four legs – she finished eighth in the last leg of the 10-leg series in Chun’an, China that gave her an unassailable lead (102 points) – Bruni can afford to rest on our laurels.
I want to finish the season the best way I can. I’m targeting a top-three place here
“I want to finish the season the best way I can. I’m targeting a top-three place here,” said the 25-year-old Italian, who finished 15th in her last appearance at Repulse Bay in 2013.
Bruni’s overall victory in the World Cup makes up for some of the disappointment of missing out on a medal at this year’s world championships in Kazan, Russia, where she finished fourth in the open water. That fourth place, however, was good enough to qualify her for next year’s Rio Olympic Games.
“We will have a break before we start preparations for Rio. Before China [in the last leg], we had a three-week rest. I am not 100 per cent fit at the moment, but I will fight for the best possible place and I really want to do well in Hong Kong,” she said.
This season, the Italian did extremely well, winning legs in Argentina (Patagones-Viedma), Abu Dhabi, Portugal ( Setubal) and Canada (Lac Megantic) and racking enough points to stave off the challenges of Ana Marcela Cunha of Brazil and Hungary’s Anna Olasz, who are tied in second place overall on 72 points.
