"It (his story) is kind of like a Lance Armstrong story. He is a great gentlemen and a great ambassador of the sport. His story is amazing and can inspire a lot of people, especially me. I am proud to race with him and happy for his achievement. It's phenomenal," he said.

Maarten van der Weijden of the Netherlands is lifted up by his teammates after winning the men's marathon 10km swimming competition at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, August 21, 2008. [Agencies]

Having won a bronze medal in 1,500-meter freestyle in Athens, Davies said the fight to get the silver in the men's 10-km was a lot harder.

"This is only my third (open water) race. I always knew I would be a novice in tactics. The last 800 my body had given everything and I was on a sugar low. My head was all over the place, I was swimming zig-zags and didn't know what was going on," he said.

Davies also competed in the men's 1,500-meter four days ago and ranked 6th. "To have two Olympic medals in two different Games and two different sports, I am so very proud and humble about what I have done. I know how hard it is to get to an Olympic podium," he said.

Germany's Lurz, 2006 world champion, seemed not completely happy with a bronze medal.

"The race was extremely hard as everyone is extremely fit," he said. "It was 700m before the end that I had to battle with the group. This lost me a lot of strength and the silver."

Russia's Dyatchin, who was seen as a top gold favorite as reigning world championship, was disqualified after receiving a red flap in the last lap.

"I got a yellow card and a red card during the race. It's my first time to get two cards in my sporting career," he said. "I struggled in the water with a lot of athletes around me. I didn't want to push them."

The open-water event is slated to the 2008 Olympic Games for the first time. It is also referred to as a "wrestling match in water" due to the aggressive techniques employed in competing in the sport. Competitors often knock into each other as they fight for position around the marker buoys and at the feeding stations.

In Wednesday's women's 10km marathon, Russia's Larisa Ilchenko won gold and British swimmers Keri-Anne Payne and Cassandra Patten ranked second and third.