Keri-anne Payne plays down pressure to make podium

Spyridon Gianniotis of Greece swims to victory in the Open Water Mens 10k race. Picture: Getty Images

Payne had been the object of much attention in the run-up to the Olympics, her exploits in fending off dead dogs, jellyfish and skulduggery from rivals in murky waters contrasting with her calm demeanour and photogenic looks.

Much was expected of the then Stockport ITC swimmer who won Olympic silver in 2008 and the 2009 and 2011 world titles, especially after Britain’s tally of three medals in the pool fell below expectations. However, Payne finished fourth in a race won by Hungary’s Eva Risztov. She made her way slowly along the scores of journalists before stopping to speak to Cassandra Patten and Steve Parry – former Stockport team-mates and fellow Olympic medallists – and only then did her composure crack and the tears flow.

The Games were followed by her wedding to David Carry, a London 400 metres freestyle finalist, and a move to Edinburgh.

The Johannesburg-born swimmer was uncertain of what the future held and was undecided as to whether she would continue in the open water.

She said: “I knew this year was going to be a huge change. People say you know and your body knows when you are ready to give up and I never felt that but I didn’t think I was going to do any open water swimming.”

In late autumn she joined the Warrender club, doing up to five training sessions a week under Laurel Bailey and former world short-course breaststroke champion Kris Gilchrist, at the Royal Commonwealth Pool. It was not until February that Payne decided she would do the open water again and that given she had qualified for the World Championships, it made sense to compete in Barcelona, where she will be joined by Danielle Huskisson of South Shields. She increased her training, swimming up to 75,000 metres a week and last month Payne won the test event, doing four 2.5km laps of the course at the Moll de la Fusta.

The race will start at midday, later than the test event, two years after the boiling waters of Shanghai which saw a number of swimmers fished out of the 25km race. However, the water temperature in Spain was 24 degrees celsius for the 5km races on Saturday and the air temperature in the high 20s, so that will not be an issue. Payne may well go in as defending champion but she is unsure of what to expect and neither is she putting any pressure on herself. She said: “I will give it my best and if I make it on to the podium after not even knowing if I would do open water any more then that would be a huge step for me.”

It was the men’s race yesterday, Spyridon Gianniotis produced a performance born of experience and no little talent as he came from 46th to successfully defend his 10 kilometre open water title.

The Greek, who had become the oldest winner of the event aged 31 in Shanghai two years ago, made his way steadily through the field before producing a perfectly-timed spurt at the start of the final 2.5 kilometre circuit at the Moll de la Fusta. Gianniotis put clear water between himself and the chasing pack and not even the late attack by Olympic silver medallist Thomas Lurz really threatened his victory which was completed in one hour 49 minutes and 11.8 seconds. Olympic silver medallist Lurz was second, 2.7secs behind, with Oussama Mellouli, the 2012 Olympic champion, in third, 7.4secs adrift.

There were contrasting emotions for the two British competitors. For Jack Burnell there was elation after finishing 15th in only his fourth open water race, but Dan Fogg came in 38th, just a year after placing fifth at the Olympics.