ROME — Melissa Gorman of Australia edged Olympic champion Larisa Ilchenko in a sprint finish Tuesday to win the women’s 5-kilometer open water swimming race at the world championships.

Gorman won in 56 minutes, 55.8 seconds in the open sea course off Rome’s ancient port of Ostia. Ilchenko took the silver medal, 0.5 seconds behind, and Poliana Okimoto of Brazil was third, 3.5 seconds back.
The race was originally scheduled for Sunday but was postponed by two days after rough seas destroyed the starting dock and timing equipment. Consequently, swimmers began the race already in the water and an old fashioned banner replaced computerized touch pads at the finish line.
Gorman timed her final stroke better than Ilchenko and was able to reach up higher than the Russian and slap the banner first. Ilchenko attributed the loss to a problem with her left leg, and she was limping when she came ashore.
The 23-year-old Gorman was racing in the 5K for the first time in an international meet. She finished 15th in the 10K race at last year’s Beijing Olympics.
Gorman will also race the 10K on Wednesday, then she is entered for the 800 and 1,500 freestyle races in the pool next week.
Open water was contested in Beijing for the first time at an Olympics and Ilchenko won in a sprint there. The Russian has also won 5K races at the last two world championships, as well as the 10K race in 2007. She had never lost a race at a major competition, including Olympics, worlds and open water worlds.
The race was held in perfect conditions, with calm seas and the water at 73 degrees Fahrenheit.
Yurema Requena Juarez of Spain finished fourth and Ekaterina Seliverstova of Russia was fifth. Amputee swimmer Natalie du Toit of South Africa placed 21st.