Haley Anderson Wins Silver in 10K Swim

Luis Acosta/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesEva Risztov of Hungary, middle, celebrates her gold in open water swimming, flanked by silver medalist Haley Anderson of the United States, left, and bronze medalist Martina Grimaldi of Italy.

LONDON – Call Haley Anderson the Flying Fish. Her range in the water calls to mind the versatility of Paavo Nurmi on the track, where in the 1920s he earned the nickname the Flying Finn on his way to Olympic victories in distances ranging from 1,500 to 10,000 meters.
In the spring, Anderson, a 20-year-old Californian, won the 500-yard freestyle at the N.C.A.A. Division I championships. On Thursday, she used the speed she has developed in the pool to surge from fourth to second over the final 1,000 meters of the women’s 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) open-water race at Hyde Park.
Anderson overtook Keri-Anne Payne of Britain and Martina Grimaldi of Italy and nearly caught Eva Risztov of Hungary, who led for most of the six-lap race around the Serpentine Lake course. Risztov used to golden effect the strategy normally adopted by Payne, the prerace favorite, who struggled to adjust to Risztov’s tactics.
Payne, the world champion in 2009 and 2011, was unable to ride a wave of support along the course onto the podium. She finished fourth in a race that lasted nearly two hours and in which four seconds separated the top four finishers.