Mark Warkentin edged out the competition in a grueling test of mental and physical toughness this weekend in Seville, Spain to earn a chance to compete in the first ever Open Water Swimming 10k race at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. As the first American in History, Mark navigated the daunting 10k course in the Seville rowing basin with precision – clinching the only American position for the final Olympic event with a time 1:53:37.80.

Mark inks the record books as the first American in history to qualify for the Open Water Swimming event in the Olympic Games. He is the first member of the 2008 USA Olympic Swimming Team. Mark’s dream of being an Olympian seemed distant after just missing the team in the past three Olympic Trials, but the 28 year old persevered and made history in the process. Mark finished in the Top Ten taking the seventh spot (out of 55 competitors).

At the 2008 World Championship in Seville, he wore the latest Tracer swimsuit technology from TYR, customized for endurance swimmers and designed to perform. TYR’s revolutionary technology advances the boundaries of what a swimsuit technology can do for performance. Tracer reduces drag created by the motion of the legs and limits muscle fatigue, an important asset in the later stages of a more than two-hour race. TYR Tracer open water elite technology is the only swimsuit designed with Energy Pockets used to store replenishing fuel for swimmers.

Mark has achieved an Olympic berth and will have the honor of representing the United States. From the strong field of competitors at the 2008 World Championship, Mark will compete in the Beijing Olympic Games 10k final event on August 21.