It is not easy being a marathon swimmer. Plunging into the unpredictable waters of lakes, rivers or the ocean, distance swimmers have to deal with everything from frigid water,to jelly fish.

So when a group of marathon swimmers came to a suburb of Beijing last weekend for an Olympic qualifier and saw the man-made lake in which they were to compete, they could hardly contain their glee.

"Absolutely amazing, such a beautiful venue, such a beautiful day," said 16-year-old Chloe Sutton, a top US prospect in distance swimming who took first place in the women's race.

Marathon swimming makes its Olympic debut on Aug 20 at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park after the rowing events wrap up. Officials and athletes alike had high praise for the venue, calling it an "ideal" place for the event's debut.

"I really like the conditions here in the channel, I think it is a very good place for competition," said Bulgarian Petar Stoychev, who won Sunday's qualification race in one hour 59 minutes, 13 sec. The 31-year-old, who holds the world record for crossing the English Channel with a time of six hours, 57 sec, will also compete in the 1,500m freestyle in Beijing.

Good water conditions and straight lanes enabled most competitors to perform at their best at the 2.3 km-long Shunyi Olympic Park, located about 30 km northeast of Beijing.

Coaches and officials said the comfortable conditions at Shunyi are perfect for the world's best distance swimmers to produce great results. Sutton, for example, finished the four-lap race in two hours, 48 sec, one minute faster than women's champion Russian Larisa Ilchenko at the World Open Water Swimming Championships in early May at Seville's Guadalquivir River.

"I think these are ideal conditions to make fast performances," Nory Kruchten, vice president of the International Swimming Federation (FINA), told China Daily. "If you have similar conditions this summer, it will be really good."

Kruchten also said the water temperature at the Shunyi venue is more consistent than outdoor venues such as the Guadalquivir River.

"We expect a really fast event in Beijing," he said.

The straight lanes at Shunyi will also help competitors avoid the brutal underwater grabbing and fighting at the turns that characterize many long-distance races. Jostling with opponents in the leader pack led to the disqualification of three-time Olympic gold medalist Grant Hackett of Australia at the Seville Worlds, causing him to miss a ticket to Beijing.

Coaches say the Shunyi course won't allow for much physical contact and will let swimmers focus on their own speed.

"(The Shunyi course) is like a big swimming pool for fast swimmers," said Paul Asmuth, a coach for the US swimming team. "This course is easier to stay in line because swimmers can stay close to the shore and it is very straight."

The pool-like conditions will no doubt be attractive to the world's elite distance swimmers. Britain's David Davies, a World Championships medal winner in 1,500m, and Russian distance specialists Vladimir Dyatchin and Larisa Ilchenko have all announced they will participate in the new Olympic sport this summer.

Another swimmer to watch is South Africa's amputee swimmer Natalie du Toit, who made history by qualifying for the Beijing Olympics at the Seville Worlds. She will also take part in the Paralympics in September.

Du Toit lost her left leg in a car accident and swims without the aid ofa prosthetic.

(China Daily June 4, 2008)