Australian OW Champs Day 1: Sloman and Lee Take 10k Titles

2019 AUSTRALIAN OPEN WATER SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• January 26th-28th, 2019
• Brighton Jetty, Adelaide, South Australia
• Event Site
• Qualifying Times
• Event Schedule
• Start List
• Results – Senior
• Results – Age Group
• What’s at stake

Day one of the Australian Open Water Championships are underway, with the open and 18-19 10k races as well as the 16-17 7.5k races for both genders.

The first race of the championships was the men’s 10k, which was raced concurrently with the men’s 18-19 event. In the open, Pan Pacs bronze medalist Nicholas Sloman secured the win by 5 seconds, finishing in 1:53:07.09. Topping off the top 3 were Kai Edwards (1:53:12.38) and Bailey Armstrong (1:53:14.25).

The men’s 18-19 10k race was also swum with the open event. Winning the event for their ages and securing their spot on the Swimming Australia Junior Open Water Team were 18-year-old Hayden Cotter and 19-year-old Reilly Kennedy. Cotter’s time of 1:53:12.63 would have placed third overall in the open 10k event, and even though he didn’t appear in the ‘open’ results, Swimming Australia has included him in the quartet that will earn funding to race at the Doha stop of the FINA Marathon Swim World Series: the next leg of Australian qualifying for the World Championship.

Cotter was the winner of the recent Pier to Pub swim.

Veteran Rhys Mainstone was just 6th in the open event standings.

Winning the women’s open 10k race was Kareena Lee, who won with 2 minutes on the rest of the lead pack with a  2:03:50.08. Taking second and third place were Chinese Yan Siyu  (2:05:36.15) and Dong Fuwei (2:05:49.61). The next Australian behind Lee was Chloe Gubecka, who finished in fourth place (2:05:50.26).

Chelsea Gubecka, older sister of Chloe and the defending champion, was the 3rd Australian, and so both will travel to Doha to continue qualifying for the World Championships.

Two more spots were filled for the Swimming Australia Junior Open Water Team in the women’s 18-19 10k race. Those spots were earned by 18-year-olds winner Mackenzie Brazier and 19-year-olds winner Madisyn Armstrong. Brazier was the 4th Australian overall in the race, and as such has also booked a ticket to Doha.