Australians dominated the men’s race at the 2016 Waikiki Roughwater swim with Ollie Signorini and Jarrod Poort going 1-2, but local university swimmer Cherelle Oestringer topped the women’s race.
Signorini topped Poort by just over 30 seconds to win the 2.3-mile event. Signorini was the only swimmer to crack one hour, going 59:48 for the title. Poort, coming off
2016 marks a return for the event, which was canceled last year due to strong surf and currents. The weather again threatened the event, with Hurricane Lester rolling through the Pacific, but Lester was downgraded to a tropical storm on Saturday night and moved further away from the Hawaiian islands.
That opened the door for a comeback for the event, which had previously taken place every year dating back to 1970. This, considered the 47th Annual event, spans a bay on Hawaii’s famous Waikiki Beach and took place on Monday morning, local time.