Maximillian Manurung saved Indonesia's blushes in the marathon swimming competition at the Asian Beach Games here Sunday, winning the bronze medal in the men's 10-kilometer race.

Maximillian crossed the finish line at Mertasari Beach in his personal best of 2:10.32 to give the host country its lone medal in the open water swimming event, which was dominated by athletes from East and West Asian countries.

"Finishing third was quite predictable as the contenders for the medals today were not as tough as those competing yesterday (Saturday), except for the winner," Maximillian said after the grueling race.

Mohammad Saleh of Syria won the second gold medal in the event for his country after clocking the best time of 2:03.25, ahead of Li Yinhan of China at 2:06.35. Saleh, who represented his country in the Beijing Olympic Games this year, won the 5-kilometer race Saturday.

China ruled the roost in the women's event, producing a one-two finish. Xue Li snatched the gold in 2:09.21, beating compatriot Fang Yanqiao by only 0.8 seconds. Wing Yung Natasha Terri Tang of Hong Kong failed to find the form that led her to the 5-km gold medal on Saturday, settling for the bronze in the 10-km competition at 2:12.49.

Host swimmers Yessy V.Yosaputra and Inggrit Defanny could not match the strong field, finishing sixth and eighth respectively.

Indonesian team manager Amir Husein said Maximillian's achievement was to be proud of". He said Indonesia had failed to bag medals at other international marathon swimming events.

"He (Maximillian) is the best marathon swimmer that the country has today. I hope, he will gain more success in this new sport for Indonesia in the future."

Indonesian coach Siradihaudrajat Wirdja said he did not expect Maximillian to win a medal and the country's second swimmer Guruh Kurniawan to finish fourth in the long-distance swimming competition.

"We were surprised and delighted by the performance of our swimmers because we did not set any targets in this race,"Siradihaudrajat said.

It was 19-year-old Maximillian's first medal ever at an international. He competed in the 10-km race at the World Cup marathon swimming championship in Hong Kong last July, but only finished 11th.

He had arrived in Bali two and a half months before the Asian Beach Games opened on Oct. 18 for intensive training to improve his technique and physical endurance.

After the Games, Maximillian plans study sports science on the Gold Coast, Australia.

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