Amika de Jager, Seth de Swart Win Eastern Cape 5 km
Courtesy of Brenton Williams from Marina Martinique, South Africa. Young Jeffreys Bay swimmer Seth de Swart [shown above] won the men’s 5 km swim at the NMBA Championships held at Marina Martinique, South Africa, while Amika de Jager won the women’s race.
Both swam South African national qualifying times and will represent their province at the South African Championships next weekend.
De Jager from St Francis Bay set the pace from the beginning in close-to-perfect conditions at Marina Martinique, leading from start to finish. “This is my first season of open water swimming and I am really enjoying it. I am looking forward to the South African Championships and will see what happens there.”
Seth swam intelligently to beat Byron Lockett and Daniel Jones, who had both swam the Bell Buoy Challenge earlier in the day in Algoa Bay.
In the 3 km women’s swim, local swimmers Michelle Strydom and Riette Doubell came second and third respectively, with Erica Scheepers from Port Elizabeth winning the race. Father and son duo of Francis and Alan Searle (Humansdorp) both won their age groups in the 3 km swim.
Strydom and the younger Searle then doubled up to get back onto the podium in the 1 km. Michelle Strydom took third in the 1 km while Alan Searle claimed another gold medal in the 1 km men’s event.
Hometown favorites from Jeffreys Bay were well represented in the U/13 age group in the 1 km race with Danre du Preez coming second, MC Strydom third, Piet Foley fourth and Steyn Foley fifth.
BEST Swim Club won the participation league with Aquabear and PEA coming second and third respectively. They shared the R10,000 prize money, compliments of Metsi Water Solutions and Swimming Plus.
Byron Lockett won the prize for being the swimmer who accumulated the most points for his club during the season.
The Eastern Cape Open Water Swim Championships was sponsored by Metsi Water Solutions and formed part of a series that took place at Marina Martinique starting in October.
Copyright © 2015 by World Open Water Swimming Association
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff. Note: WOWSA only recommends products or services used or recommended by the community. WOWSA does not receive compensation for links or products mentioned on this site or in blog posts. If it does, it will be indicated clearly on that specific post. See WOWSA's privacy policy for more information.
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