Britain's Keri-Anne Payne led from start to finish to claim the world swimming championships women's open water 10km gold medal today, the victory ensuring she qualified for next year's London Olympics in style.

The 2009 world champion and Beijing Olympics silver medalist completed the four laps of the course at Jinshan City Beach in two hours, one minute and 58 seconds.

Italy's Martina Grimaldi finished second while Greece's Marianna Lymperta finished third.

The top 10 finishers in the race automatically earned berths at the 2012 London Games.