By Christine Newby

London, England (August 10, 2012)

Just 0.4 seconds.

That was the difference between the gold and the silver medal. Haley Anderson never finished a race that close until Thursday's (Aug. 9) 10-kilometer open water swim at Hyde Park, where she won silver.

Anderson made a late surge to take a run at Hungary's Eva Risztov, who crossed the line in 1:57:38.2, while Anderson clocked in at 1:57:38.6. Italy's Martina Grimaldi earned the bronze with a time of 1:57:41.8. Anderson's medal is the first by the United States in the event, which debuted at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, where the U.S. finished 22nd.

"I couldn't stop smiling form the second I touched the pad to when I was on the podium," the first-time Olympian said. "I was ecstatic. I saw my sister in the stands."

Just nine days ago, Alyssa Anderson, Haley Andersons's older sister, won gold in the women's 4x200-meter freestyle (due to her swim in the heats). Because she trained in Canada and didn't arrive in London until Aug. 3, Haley Anderson wasn't able to catch her sister swim.

"Alyssa told me that she is really proud of me," Haley Anderson said about her post-race celebration with her sister.

Haley Anderson's lowest position of the day was fourth at the end of the first lap, but from there, she moved into the No. 1 spot at the two lap mark. For the next three laps, the California native never fell behind third. Swimming nearly two hours overall, her fastest lap turned out to be her last at 19:03.0.

Going into the race, Haley Anderson, who won the 1,500 freestyle and finished second in the 800 freestyle at the 2011 World University Games, said she had high expectations.

Despite the fact that a fraction of a second was the difference between Anderson and the Olympic champion, she still revels in the result.

"It's really exciting. I'm more than happy with the results and being able to represent my country and medal," she said.

Originally published by USA Swimming (http://www.teamusa.org)

 

 

Women's 10K Open Water Swim Photo Finish