World Aquatics Championships: Conditions in 5km race much better compared to Jul 16's 10km starts

Key Concepts:

Open water swimming, World Aquatics Championships, 5km race, 10km race, heat, water conditions, E.coli levels, athlete performance, heat training, recovery, sprint races, relays.

Better Conditions in 5km Race:

Open water swimmers reported significantly improved conditions in the 5km race compared to the 10km race held earlier in the week at Sentosa during the World Aquatics Championships. The 5km race took place in the morning under clear and calm skies, avoiding the intense midday heat that plagued the 10km event.

Problems with the 10km Race:

The 10km races had to be postponed due to unacceptable E.coli levels found after testing on Sunday. One in six athletes failed to finish the 10km race.

Athlete Perspectives:

Athletes who participated in both races noted that the water was calmer and the temperature was cooler during the 5km event. Singaporean swimmer Kate Ona, who finished as the fastest Southeast Asian in the women's event (43rd out of 78), stated, "The water's so much um calmer and it wasn't as hot as 2 days ago. This time I managed to stay in a pack which is what I intended to do for the 10k. So it was much easier for me and I think I could push way harder at the end." Ona is scheduled to compete in two more events, totaling four races in five days.

Winners of the 5km Race:

Germany's Florian Welbrock secured gold in the men's 5km race, adding to his previous win in the 10km race. Welbrock mentioned their preparation involved "a lot of um heat training and sauna to um get a good feeling for the heat um because we never have uh 30° water in Europe." He also noted the impact of the heat on athletes' recovery and performance, stating, "one day like not enough to recover and everybody was so tired. So, you could see uh that the the pace was a little bit lower and everybody was yeah really tired. So um the gold second gold is amazing." Australia's Moisha Johnson won the women's 5km race, narrowly defeating her Italian opponent by 1 second.

Upcoming Events:

The World Championships will continue over the weekend with the men's and women's 3km sprints and the mixed four * 1,500-meter relays. Team Singapore is aiming to make their mark in these events.

Synthesis/Conclusion:

The open water swimming events at the World Aquatics Championships in Sentosa experienced varying conditions, with the 5km race offering a more favorable environment for athletes compared to the heat-affected and E.coli-delayed 10km race. Athletes like Florian Welbrock and Moisha Johnson demonstrated exceptional performance, while others, including Kate Ona, are preparing for further competitions. The upcoming sprint and relay events present additional opportunities for athletes to showcase their skills.