McGlynn and Kinghorn storm to Midmar victories

Michael McGlynn and Robyn Kinghorn took no prisoners on Sunday, tearing through the choppy conditions and ripping apart world-class line-ups to win their maiden titles at the 46th annual Midmar Mile open water race.

After finishing second in the elite men’s 1.6km contest last year, 20-year-old McGlynn was never challenged throughout the race, storming clear from the start and taking all three hot spots.

He crossed the finish line in 18:26, well ahead of seven-time winner Chad Ho, who took the runner-up position in 19:02.

“I had a good start and took the middle line, but I wasn’t sure because the conditions can change,” McGlynn said.

“At 1 200 metres I thought I was too far left, but I managed to get back on track.

“I had wanted to win this race last year, so to do it now, I’m really happy.”

Earlier, Kinghorn was nearly as dominant in the elite women’s race, also leading from start to finish.

Having taken a separate line to five other women who broke clear of the rest of the field, 20-year-old Kinghorn gradually opened a gap on the chase group, taking all the hot spots before crossing the finish line in 21:16.

Samantha Randle was the best of the rest, taking second place in 21:27.

“The chop was really bad, so I didn’t really know where I was swimming,” Kinghorn said.

“I did see a few people in a bunch to my left, which was quite concerning, but I just put my head down and went for it.”

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