Ohrid, 30 August 2025 (MIA) -- Setting off at St. Naum, 16 swimmers, 10 men and six women, entered Lake Ohrid at 10 am to win the 38th Ohrid Marathon, MIA's Struga correspondent reports.

Ohrid Mayor Kiril Pecakov signaled the start of the race. 

The fastest swimmers are expected to complete the 25 km swim around 4 pm, arriving at the city harbor.

The female swimmers taking part in the marathon are Elena Lionello from Italy, Rosana Gosheva from Macedonia, Alicja Giedryś from Poland, Milica Ljubisavljević from Serbia, and Érika Jenssen and Mayte Puca from Argentina.

Four of the ten male swimmers in the marathon are from Macedonia: Aleksandar Ilievski, Leonid Mishevski, Petar Cekov and Igor Pop Trajkov. They will be joined by Aquiles Balaudo and Matias Diaz Hernandez from Argentina; Italians Federico Tamborrino, Marco Inglima and Matteo Furlan, as well as Portugal’s Hugo Ribeiro.

The marathon is organized by the Ohrid Waves 2008 Water Sports Club with the backing of the Office of President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, the Ministry of Sport, the Macedonian Swimming Federation, and the Municipality of Ohrid.

The marathon's prize fund is EUR 12,000.

The 2025 Ohrid Swimming Marathon is being held as part of the Ohrid Water Festival. ad/mr