Open water swimmers race at Florida Lake
The idea of swimming in Florida Lake doesn't appeal to many people, but competitive open water swimmers couldn't be bothered by the murky water when they have a chance at qualifying for a National title.
When people think of Florida Lake, the idea of jumping in and swimming in circles for a few kilometres isn’t the first thing that comes to mind, but a few dedicated athletes braved the murky water and scorching sun on the weekend of 15 February.
Competitive open water swimmers had their game faces on as they raced in hopes of qualifying for the SA Open Water Nationals (SA OW) which will be taking place in Jeffreys Bay on 7 and 8 March. Central Gauteng Aquatics (CGA) hosted the 10km, 7,5km, 5km and 3km races at the lake.
Each swimmer worked and persevered to make sure they qualify for the SA OW Nationals, not only in hopes of achieving a national title, but also qualifying for the Olympic trials that will be held this year, making the nationals an extremely important event.
CGA also catered for the not-so-competitive swimmers with their fun swim and mile race.
Supporters stood on the banks of the lake, cheering on the swimmer as they passed the starting point again and again in their long swims around the lake. Different CGA marshals were posted at checkpoints around the lake, making sure each swimmer was safe, and communicating their progress through walkie talkies.
The heroes of the day were the 10km male and female winners who worked their hardest and it paid off.
It was a tough race, but ultimately the first-placed 10km swimmer for the men was Christopher McGlynn, who travelled from KwaZulu-Natal especially for the swim. Bernard Wolfaardt came in second and Refiloe Mashoe finished in an honourable third place in the male category.
For the women, the top two finishers of the 10km race were a couple of the younger swimmers, with 15-year-old Catherine van Rensburg finishing first and Leigh McMorran (also 15) finishing in second place. Sasha-Lee Nordegen-Corris trailed slightly behind and managed to bag third place.
Several development swimmers from CGA’s Soweto club also participated in a few races, with several of them qualifying to enter the CGA Championships.
