Reece Zowitsky of Midwit Swimming Club clocked one hour, three minutes and 29 seconds to win the Mpumalanga Open Water five-kilometre race at Lake Longmere on Sunday.
After the mass start, Reece and teammate Matthew Andrew swam side by side as they opened space between them and the rest of the swimmers.
Matthew kept up for two hundred or so metres before Reece started pulling away. With every lap of the race, Reece increased the lead and eventually won by 95 seconds.
Matthew was second in 1:04;55 and another Midwit swimmer, Leson Visagie, third in 1:12;08. Julian Andrew made it a full house of four for Midwit in 1:13;13.
The first Lowveld-based competitor to complete the five kilometres was Dian de Klerk of Curro Swimming Academy, who claimed fifth place in 1:14;29.
The first girl to complete the five-kilometre open water race was Annabelle Davel of Midwit in 1:14;55. She was sixth overall. The 13-year-old Highveld-based swimmer beat two 16-year-old male competitors; a remarkable performance.
Second girl home, in seventh overall, was Midwit’s Courtney de Villiers. She clocked 1:15;58. Uniswim’s Lucy Friedenthal was the third girl to finish. She claimed overall 10th place in 1:16;50.
Reece (37:50) and Matthew (38:22) also took first and second place in the three-kilometre race. Heindru Moolman of Midwit was third in 41;54.
