2. Thomas Lurz of Germany (1:49:58.5) capped off a long and illustrious career with a courageous swim against one of the world's fastest waterman, losing by only 3.5 seconds.
7. Vladimir Dyatchin of Russia (1:50:42.8) may have capped a brilliant career on the world's stage but will be a force on shorter swims over many years.
19. Arseniy Lavrentyev of Portugal (1:51:37.2) was in his second Olympics as he cracked the top 20.
21. Ivan Enderica Ochoa of Ecuador (1:52:28.6) didn't crack the top 20 but gave hope to other Ecuadorean swimmers.