Italy's Martina Grimaldi claimed the world 10km title (the Olympic marathon distance) on the first day of racing at the FINA Open Water Championships at Roberval in Canada. The race was marred by a suits issue and two DQs among swimmers who might have made the podium, including 5km world champ of 2009 Melissa Gorman (AUS).

While there was no question about the winner, a protest was in the air over silver and bronze placings soon after the race. Video footage of the finish was being reviewed shortly after the race, which was followed by a thunderstorm. 

The 38-strong field included Olympic Champion Larissa Ilchenko (RUS) and world champion and Olympic silver medallist Keri-Anne Payne (GBR). Payne led at 2.5km on 31:07mins, just ahead of Eva Fabian (USA) with Grimaldi third. The picture had changed little by half-way, with Payne and Fabian practically stroke for stroke, with Ekaterina Seliverstova (RUS) close, all three around the 1hr 2min 35sec mark.

Over the next quarter of the race, world 5km champion Melissa Gorman (AUS) took command and was leading at 7.5km, with Fabian, Payne and Grimaldi a stroke away. By then Ilchenko had been taken out of the water, reportedly suffering from hypothermia. The water was reported as being 24C. 

Some 500m from the finish as the race continued to be tight, Grimaldi made her move and the pack broke up. Those in contention for the medals were Gorman, Georgia Consiglia (ITA) and French pair Airelie Muller and Ophelie Asford, with Fang Yanqiao (CHN) trailing. The video would decide, while Fabian was disqualified for missing a turn. There is an issue of suits work too (see below).

As things stood provisionally at the end of the race before a final decision, the podium read:

• Grimaldi 2:05:45.20 in an Arena suit
• Consiglio 2:05:57.40 in a Jaked suit approved on the eve of competition
• Gorman 2:05:57.90.

Over an hour later, the final result was declared:

• Grimaldi (ITA) 2:05:45.20 in an Arena suit
• Consiglio (ITA) 2:05:57.40 in a Jaked suit approved on the eve of competition
• Fang Yanqiao (CHN) 2:05:59.1

Gorman and Muller were disqualified for unsporting conduct (blocking, kicking, that sort of thing...).

Meanwhile, here we go again. Suits: one week before a world title swim is no time to be approving suits. Indeed, if true, that surely goes against the FINA rule that dictates suits must have been approved the year before the major event in question.

Among the suits in the water last-minute is a Jaked. The Jaked01 suit of yesteryear was booted out of the race pool last year and then reinstated on the eve of racing at the world championships in Rome, along with other 100% poly suits (though most of those had to be amended while Jaked's suit did not). The whole episode left a sour taste in the mouth and many to this day believe that the Jaked01 made it back into the race pool for Roma09 because it was a suit made by a company that happened to be the kit partner of the hosts, the Italian federation, with financial stakes and links in place.

All water under the bridge but now in Canada today we hear of medallists (through no fault of their own) wearing suits that would not have been available to all and was approved on the whistle. Fair? I'll let you judge that one.

The timing of events was as follows: 

• June 1 - bodysuits back in under FINA rules for open water swimming
• July 7 - eight suits allowed for open water only get added to the approved list
• July 15 - four more open-water only suits added to the list. Few federations in the world had access to some of the suits worn.

The Canadian meet and FINA is in breach of what was agreed by Congress in Rome last year, namely:

Approval of swimwear in the future will be done at least 12 months before the next FINA World Championships (50m) or Olympic Games.

The details (which are being exploited mercilessly by those who would have the shiny suits back in the race pool at the feel of a wallet in their own pocket if they could) matter less than the spirit of that agreement, which was clear to all: it was intended to make things as fair as possible. When did Open Water get added to a list of FINA sports that did not require quite as much fairness as the rest?