New Australians set to challenge

New Zealand’s best open water swimmers will once again face top Australian challenges when the 2013/2014 State New Zealand Ocean Swim Series starts on Sunday morning.

New Zealand number one Kane Radford, 23, is back for another tilt, but will face stiff competition from 19-year-old Jarrod Poort from Wollongong, who finished 5th in the 5km race at the FINA World Championships in July in Barcelona.

Poort is also an accomplished pool swimmer, representing Australia at the London Olympic Games in the 1500m freestyle.  But Radford heads into the race confident.  He’s won this four times from five attempts, and is refreshed after relocating from Auckland to Perth six months ago.

“I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to train with Rhys Mainstone, Australia’s best open water swimmer,” he said.

“He goes hard all day every single day.  I feel I’ve made massive improvement because I’m now part of a specific open water training programme,” Radford said.

Mainstone is arguably Australia’s best open water specialist.  He’s a world championship silver medallist, and a two-time Australian open water champion.  And while he is not fronting in the Harbour Crossing, he will be swimming in the series in the New Year.

“That’s a major coup,” said event director Scott Rice.

“Mainstone is a world class swimmer, and we’re delighted to have attracted him to New Zealand for the first time,” he said.

Poort too has credentials and is looking forward to racing both Mainstone and Radford in the series.

“I expect some really tight races.  We’ve had some great battles between us, so it’ll be good competitive stuff.

“I’ve swum the Harbour Crossing once before in 2011 when I came fourth, and I’m looking forward to doing it again,” Poort said.

Another Australian Wally Eggleton will also line up on Sunday, as will New Zealand’s two other most accomplished open water swimmers Phillip Ryan and Troy Balvert.

New Zealand high-performance squad members and pool specialists 2012 Olympian Dylan Dunlop Barrett from Taranaki, and Tauranga’s Nathan Capp, who swam at this year’s FINA world champs, are also on the start line.

The women’s race is also intriguing.

Taranaki’s Charlotte Webby, who performed solidly last season, is back.  She has simple goals for this season.

“I’m going to go out, go hard and have fun.  I’m keeping it really simple.

“I’m all about building towards the New Zealand Champs in Taupo in January, and then the opening race in the Billaton Aquatic Series in Perth in February.  I need to nail those races to qualify for next year’s Pan Pacific Games on the Gold Coast,” she said.

Webby has good competition, however, in 18-year-old Emma Robinson from Wellington.

Robinson, a pool swimmer, surprised all, including herself, at the New Zealand open water champs in January, where she swam brilliantly to qualify for the World Championships ahead of Webby.

Also entered on Sunday, is Australian Jessica Walker, who finished 5th at the World University Games in Kazan, Russia in the 10km.  The 23-year-old from the Gold Coast, is expected to be a strong contender, just like defending series champion Melissa Gorman, who will feature again in the series in the New Year.

“I’ve several New Zealand friends who’ve told me I have to swim in this series, so I can’t wait to get into it,” said Walker.

“The only thing that will be interesting is the water temperature.  I’ve only some in a wetsuit once before, and I found it quite challenging.  But the more I practice with it, the better I will be,” she said.

The 2.9km Harbour Crossing in Auckland is the first of the six race series, which concludes on the North Shore in April next year.

It starts at 7am on Sunday morning in front of Quinton Park in Bayswater and ends at Karanga Plaza in the Viaduct Harbour.

Almost 1800 swimmers have entered this year, a record in the 10th year of the race.