ST Francis Open Water swimmer, Amica de Jager, triumphed at the NMBA Open Water Swim Championships at Marina Martinique in Jeffreys Bay last weekend.
The gruelling 10km event got the championships off to a challenging start, with a strong easterly wind creating surface chop for the swimmers.
This did little to deter De Jager from storming to victory in the 10km swim, which is also the official Olympic distance.
She won the race in a time of 2:14:30 with Tasneen Ebrahim coming second and Jessica Booth claiming the bronze medal.
All three swimmers recorded SA National qualifying times and will be eligible to compete in the South African Open Water Swim Champs.
In the Men’s 10km swim, Phillip Seidler won the event in 2:02:37 with Darren Minnies claiming silver and Flippie Van Der Spuy taking home the bronze medal.
All three also swam national qualifying times.
Jeffreys Bay swimmer JC Van Wyk won his age group in the 3km swim in a time of 45:49, as did Cape St Francis based swimmer Lorrin Jarvis in the 1km event.
De Jager doubled up by winning the 5km swim, comfortably posting another national qualifying time.
Seidler took the honours in the 5km swim as well.
He was the only swimmer on the day to go under an hour for the 5km event.
The SA Open Water Swim Champs is an invite only event that will take place in Jeffreys Bay on March 2 and 3, with Marina Martinique being regarded by most swimmers as the best open water swim venue in South Africa.
The canals are protected from tides and currents, as well as wildlife, and is a great place for spectators to get close to all the action in the water.
The 2020 event will be the official Olympic Games qualifier, so expect to see South Africa’s top open water swimmers battle it out this year as they build up for making a bid to represent South Africa at the biggest stage of them all.
For more information and the full results of the NMBA Open Water Swim Championships at Marina Martinique in Jeffreys Bay, visit www.zsports.co.za.
