Andrea Filadelli and Ines Delacroix clinched the overall titles in the European Aquatics Open Water Swimming Cup 2024 following the final leg in Ražanac, Croatia.
The pair entered Leg 5 atop the respective rankings with Filadelli securing the title with second in a photo finish with Italy teammate Ivan Giovannoni, who came with a late charge in the finishing chute to win in 1:53:32.69 to 1:53:32:89.
With that Filadelli earned 700pts to finish with 2000pts and the men’s title.
Italian men finished 1-2 in the rankings as Giovannoni moved from 12th to second with 1500pts ahead of Marcel Schouten whose eighth place in 1:54:49.03 saw him finish third with 1340pts.
Doğukan Ulaç was second in the rankings going into the final leg but the Turkish swimmer dropped to fifth after not competing in Croatia.
Delacroix had a 750-point buffer coming into Ražanac ahead of Lisa Pou following a fine campaign in which she enjoyed a top-six finish in each of the previous four races.
The Frenchwoman was 13th in the final race in 2:05:07.11 as Lea Boy claimed her second straight victory in 2:00:50.93 with a last-lap charge but it was sufficient for Delacroix to win the overall title with 2980pts.
Pou of Monaco was second with 2750pts followed by Caroline Jouisse (2250pts) and Boy who collected 1600pts from just two races.
Filadelli came through for a late victory in the penultimate leg in Belgrade last weekend to add 800pts to the 500 he had earned with fifth at Leg 1 in Piombino, Italy, to sit top of the rankings with 1300pts.
Denis Borovka of Czechia was the first European at halfway followed by Moritz Bockes of Germany and Italian duo Giuseppe Ilario and Filadelli.
The leading pack accelerated on the fourth lap with Giovannoni taking over the lead ahead of Filadelli, Pasquale Giordano and Schouten, who had picked his way through the field.
Giovannoni headed five Italians into the final lap with Filadelli sitting fourth.
The pace increased once more in the final stages with Filadelli leading into the final chute before Giovannoni came past to touch the panel first and take victory by 0.2secs.
Mexico’s Paulo Strehlke Delgado touched next in 1:53:34.23 but with only European swimmers registering points, it meant Italians – as in Belgrade – enjoyed a clean sweep of the podium as Ilario came third in 1:53:41.50.
They were followed by two more Italians in Dario Verani (1:53:44.41) and Giordano (1:54:14.58).
Jeanette Spiwoks led for the first two of six laps in the women’s race before being overhauled by Pou to lead through halfway with Boy in third.
The Monaco swimmer – who was 18th at Paris 2024 – remained in the lead going into the final lap with Spiwoks on her toes followed by Boy with Delacroix back in 14th.
However, just as in Leg 4 in Belgrade, Boy produced a perfectly-timed finish, going past Pou and moving away down the finishing chute for a 2.74sec victory.
Spiwoks was third in 2:00:54.86 while Jouisse’s fourth place in 2:00:55.01 ensured she took overall third.