SNZ Events
Epic Swim
High Performance
SNZ Events
Epic Swim
High Performance
The experienced Phillip Ryan and Charlotte Webby will face a barrage of young challengers at the New Zealand Open Water Championships in Taupo this weekend.
The New Zealand Championships form part of the successful annual Epic Swim which has attracted over 700 swimmers including internationals, competing in a range of open water swims from 100m for children to the 17.5km event.
Webby, from the Aquabladz club in Taranaki, will defend the titles she won in both the 10km and 5km events last year, while Ryan, 26, has been a regular open water competitor at the highest levels for nearly a decade.
Both swimmers face an onslaught from a number of young swimmers pushing on to the elite scene this year.
Webby, 28, won the 10km open water swim at the 2014 Oceania Championships and has competed in both the 2014 Pan Pacific Championships and the 2015 FINA World Championships, as well as twice competed at the World University Games.
She is the only female in the field to have swum under the two hour barrier. The challenges will likely come from 22-year-old Sammy Winward from Waterhole (Auckland), Stefanie Gillespie, 21 (Zenith, Dunedin) who was third at the 2016 Oceania Championships, and Hamilton’s Claudia Ashby, 18, (Fairfield), who was fourth at the Oceanias and competed at the World Junior Championships.
Ryan, from the Waterhole club in West Auckland, first won the national 10km title in 2009 and last won it in 2011. He has competed successfully at the Oceanias since 2010, the World University Games and the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona.
With five-time winner Kane Radford not competing, Ryan will be the clear favourite but will face strong competition from Troy Balvert, from the Aquabladz club in Taranaki, who was third in last year’s Oceania event in Fiji.
The young charges include Wellington’s Ben Ruback (Capital), 21, Jordan Gadsby, 19, (Aquabladz) and Gisborne’s Matthew Scott, 19, (Enterprise).
Most of the elite swimmers in the 10km event on Saturday will fight out the 5km national title on Sunday.
For the first time the weekend will also host the New Zealand Secondary Schools Open Water Championships.
Ninety-three swimmers are set to compete for honours across the 1km, 2.5km and 5km distances.
Included in the secondary schools line up is last year’s third place getter in the men’s national 5km Sebastien Priscott (St Peter’s College) and women’ fifth place getter in the women’s national 5km Talya Harwood (Waimea College). Harwood was also part of last year’s junior world open water championship team.
With a wide range of distances, the Epic Swim caters for all comers, from beginners and younger swimmers in their first open water swim and for those more experienced swimmers the longer distances are a continued challenge.
Racing begins 8am Saturday 9 January with the 1km Mid Epic, Epic 5km, children’s events, with the 10km at 10am and 2.5km race at 1.30pm. Sunday’s racing is from 9am with the Masters 2.5km Classic and the national 5km championships.
CAPTION: Charlotte Webby in action in last year’s national open water championships in Taupo. (Credit: BW Media)
Details: epicswim.swimming.org.nz
NZ Open Water Championships
NZ Sec Schools OWS Champs
