She’s Back. Yuko Matsuzaki Returns To Turks & Caicos

Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, Turks & Caicos.

Japan only has one inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame. And she continues to swim in her fourth decade of marathon swimming.

“Yuko Matsuzaki is returning for another solo marathon in the spectacularly beautiful Turks and Caicos Islands on July 1st,” says coordinator Ben Stubenberg.

Last year, Matsuzaki became the first person to swim from the island of North Caicos to the island of Providenciales, 21 kilometers through tough chop and strong currents that took her 6 hours 22 minutes. This year, she will duplicate the course and extend the swim to 25 km, thus setting a standard distance for marathon swimming in the Turks & Caicos.

Located 840 km southeast of Miami, Florida and south of the Bahama Islands, Matsuzaki will start at Sandy Point in North Caicos and head southwest along a string of mostly deserted islands known as the Caicos Cays with the goal of Grace Bay, Providenciales, the main tourism center in the island country.

“She will finish at The Alexandra Resort, one of the country’s premier hotels located in the heart of Grace Bay,” said Stubenberg, president of the Turks & Caicos Islands Swim Federation.

“I am thrilled to be heading back to the Turks & Caicos Islands for another marathon swim,” said Matsuzaki. “The beautiful, clear turquoise waters are some of the best in the world for open water distance swimming. I want to say a special thanks for Rosen Hotel & Resorts and Harris Rosen Foundation for generous sponsorship and the wonderful people and water sports professionals in the Turks & Caicos for their fantastic support.”

Stubenberg explains, “We could not be happier and prouder to welcome back one of the great marathon swimmers of our time. Yuko has helped put the Turks & Caicos on the map as a top destination for open water swimming with her outstanding skills and tremendous fortitude, and we all look forward to providing her with all the help she needs. Her marathon swim will be part of a water sports week that includes the Turks & Caicos Race for the Conch Eco-SeaSwim on July 4th and the annual Windvibes multi-water sports event on July 5th.

Yuko will also join with 3-time Olympic gold medalist Rowdy Gaines to teach two swim clinics, one for island youngsters learning to swim and one for experienced swimmers.”

For more information on Matsuzaki’s marathon swim or related events in the Turks & Caicos that was recently voted by TripAdvisor as the Best Island in the World, contact Ben Stubenberg at raceinfo@ecoseaswim.com.

Caicu Naniki Sports Adventures is coordinating and planning for the marathon while SurfSide Ocean Academy is providing the boat, captain, and navigation support.

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