Former McCallie School and University of Michigan All-America swimmer Sean Ryan placed 14th on Tuesday in the 10-kilometer open-water race at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
“Every time I saw him, he looked boxed in,” McCallie swim coach Stan Corcoran said. “He looked like he got pushed into every buoy, and I’m not saying that was intentional. It can be part of the sport sometimes.”
Ferry Weertman of the Netherlands won what’s often referred to as “swimming’s marathon” in 1:52.59.8, defeating Greece’s Spiros Gianniotis in a photo finish. France’s Marc-Antoine Oliver collected the bronze.
Jordan Wilimovsky of the United States, the 2015 world champion in the event, finished fifth in the 25-man field.
Ryan actually was disqualified at the finish, which often is the result of officials determining that a competitor impedes another competitor while reaching for the touch pad, but that disqualification was quickly lifted and his placement of 14th established. Corcoran did not immediately know the reason why Ryan was briefly disqualified.
“I know he was wanting to do better, but to swim all that way and be 13 seconds away from getting a medal is pretty impressive,” Corcoran said. “I’m very proud of him.”
The 10-kilometer race was streamed on McCallie’s campus, with Corcoran and several of Ryan’s former Blue Tornado teammates among the several dozen who viewed the race at the cafeteria.
This was the final swimming competition for Ryan, who next month will begin work as a performance and emissions engineer for Detroit Diesel Corporation.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.