PUTRI ISLAND, INDONESIA. With all the medals awarded in the 5K and 10K races at the 2011 SEA Games held on Putri Island (Pulau Putri, Kepulauan Seribu), Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia took home the open water swimming team honors.

Given their proximity to the South China Sea and beautiful coastlines throughout their countries, their prowess in the open water is not surprising.

The open water team trophy was calculated on the FINA scoring system.

Indonesia was first with 106 points followed by Vietnam with 83, Malaysia with 62, and Singapore with 40.

And like every open water swimming event, nothing could be done without the passionate and experienced volunteers and officials, which numbered 226 to set a competition for 14 athletes at the Southeast Asian Games.

The medalists included:

Women’s 5K
GOLD Heidi Gan (Malaysia) 1:11:47
SILVER Thi Ngoc Bich Nguyen (Vietnam) 1:13:45
BRONZE Yessy V. Yosaputra (Indonesia) 1:15:19

Men’s 5K
GOLD Ba Anh Tu Chau (Vietnam) 1:07:02
SILVER Ricky Angga Wijaya (Indonesia) 1:09:58
BRONZE Brandon Boon (Singapore) 1:10:02

Women’s 10K
GOLD Heidi Gan (Malaysia) 2:20:26
SILVER Thi Ngoc Yen N. (Vietnam) 2:34:59
BRONZE Yessy V Yosaputra (Indonesia) 2:38:47

Men’s 10K
GOLD Ba Anh Tu Chau (Vietnam) 2:14:32
SILVER Ricky Angga Wijaya (Indonesia) 2:14:41
BRONZE Kevin Yeap Soon C (Malaysia) 2:15:29

In a part of the world where too many people drown, showcasing the talents and skills of young people who can swim well in the open water is a marvelous outcome of the SEA Games. Inspiration and education can go a long way in preventing tragedies in the open water.

Photos and information courtesy of Christopher Guesdon.

Copyright © 2011 by Open Water Source