Please read the following table in Markdown format and then answer the question according to the table. Table cells in one row are seperated by '|', and different rows are seperated by '
'.

Table:
| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  | Chelsey Gotell | Canada | 2:28.15 | WR |
|  | Kirby Cote | Canada | 2:28.65 |  |
|  | Valerie Grand Maison | Canada | 2:29.29 |  |
| 4 | Kelley Becherer | United States | 2:32.21 |  |
| 5 | Prue Watt | Australia | 2:32.87 |  |
| 6 | Teigan van Roosmalen | Australia | 2:39.20 |  |
| 7 | Lidia Marta Banos | Spain | 2:48.80 |  |
| 8 | Akari Kasamoto | Japan | 2:55.16 |  |
Question:
what was the total number of swimmers in the race?
Answer:
8