Turning For The Best: A Heroic Life

Natalie du Toit's well-received book Tumble Turn is truly an inspirational story for people from all walks of life, especially poignant for athletes and open water swimmers.

South Africa Swimming recently named Natalie as its Disabled Swimmer of the Year for 2009 as she continues to train for the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in the 2012 London Olympics.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

World Open Water Swimming Woman Of The Year Nominees

You can vote for the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year in a worldwide poll here. The winner will be announced on January 1, 2010.

These awards are not necessarily for the best athlete, but are meant to honor the woman who (1) best embodies the spirit of open water swimming, (2) possesses the sense of adventure, tenacity and perseverance that open water swimmers are known for, and (3) has most positively influenced the world of open water swimming in 2009.

We salute all the nominees who have enjoyed remarkable careers in the sport of open water swimming as athletes, coaches, promoters, race directors and/or administrators. Congratulations to everyone.

The 10 female nominees, listed in alphabetical order, are as follows:

1. Marcia Cleveland (USA), Administrator, Promoter and Coach
2. Lisa Cummins (Ireland), Patience and Persistence Pay Off
3. Natalie du Toit (South Africa), Inspirational Athlete and Spokeswoman
4. Melissa Gorman (Australia), World Champion
5. Angela Maurer (Germany), Professional Swimmer and Mother
6. Mighty Mermaids (USA), Masters Team Extraordinaire
7. Sally Minty-Gravett (Jersey), Teacher, Motivator and Coach
8. Poliana Okimoto (Brazil), World-class Professional
9. Penny Palfrey (Australia), Marathon Swimming Adventurer
10. Keri-Anne Payne (Great Britain), World-class Racer

1. Marcia Cleveland (USA), Administrator, Promoter and Coach

Marcia of Chicago remained a whirlwind of activity and significant influence in the world of open water swimming from distances ranging from 1 mile to the English Channel. Marcia is the long-time Chair of the US Masters Swimming (USMS) Open Water & Long Distance Committee, a member of the USMS History & Archives Committee, and a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame Nominating Committee, devoting thousands of hours to the continued development of open water swimming. She is the chief administrator for the annual USMS national championship events, including the 1-Mile Open Water Championships, 2-Mile Open Water Championships, 2-Mile Cable Championships, 5 Mile Open Water Championships, 10K Open Water Championships, 1-hour Postal Championships, 5K and 10K Postal Championships, and the 3000/6000 Yard Postal Championships. She also offers coaching and clinics for open water swimmers, many in response to the continued popularity of her authoritative marathon swimming book, Dover Solo: Swimming the English Channel. She continues to navigate innumerable key issues in the sport and for USMS competitions, gives speeches from coast to coast and swims alongside newcomers to increase their comfort levels and ensure their successes. As a mother of two, for her selfless, passionate and unrelenting leadership in the sport, Marcia is nominated as the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.

2. Lisa Cummins (Ireland), Patience and Persistence Pay Off

Lisa is not the fastest English Channel swimmer, but she surely epitomizes the essence of marathon swimming. Not only did Lisa start from scratch as an elite swimmer to become one of only twenty people in the world who have successfully completed a double-crossing of the English Channel, but she also meticulously saved, sacrificed, planned and trained mentally and physically since early 2008 to complete her epic 35 hour 36 minute swim that were followed online by the global open water swimming community. Her humor and focus in face of circumstances that were beyond reasonable were evident as she told her escort crew to not pull her from the cold Channel because she was having such a good time. After reaching land despite facing excruciating pain in her shoulders during the 2-day swim, the 26-year-old college student deservingly became the pride of Ireland. Ever optimistic and impossibly cheerful, Lisa exudes humble confidence and inspires hope among her marathon swimming colleagues and English Channel aspirants. For her incredible endurance, continued persistence and focus beyond belief, Lisa is nominated as the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.

3. Natalie du Toit (South Africa), Inspirational Athlete and Spokeswoman

Although Natalie did not win any world-class marathon swims after her remarkable break-out year in 2008, she continued to work quietly and steadily towards the upper ranks of world-class marathon swimmers, overcoming physical obstacles unknown to her able-bodied competitors. The Olympic flag-bearer of South Africa and subject of a book called Tumble Turn, Natalie competed in the 5K (21st overall) and 10K (38th overall) races at the 2009 World Swimming Championships, professional World Cup marathon swims in Dubai and won local ocean swims such as the cold-water Cadiz Freedom Swim in Cape Town. Natalie’s pleasant personality and gift of time inspires many as she gives innumerable speeches and provides motivation to those with and without disabilities. Her kind smile, gentle demeanor and indomitable inner strength to compete with the world’s best swimmers are truly the elements of a Hollywood movie come true. For her continued courage and triumph over adversity in an unforgiving sport, Natalie is nominated as the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.

4. Melissa Gorman (Australia), World Champion

It took one quick stroke – and years of intense practice – for Melissa to upset the titan of professional marathon swimming. Larisa Ilchenko had not lost a major open water swimming championship – at the Olympics or in a world champion race – in the 21st century. Larisa’s track record of success was unparalleled – until Melissa set a fast pace, withstood a frantic finishing kick and out-touched Larisa in the 5K world championships in Rome this summer. Melissa’s gold medal victory – performed on open water swimming’s most important stage in 2009 – was an upset that shook the foundation of the women’s elite marathon swimming world. A relative newcomer to the sport, 23-year-old Melissa has quickly shot up the ranks among world-class open water swimmers: from 25th at the 2008 world 10K championships in Seville to 15th at the Olympic 10K in Beijing to victory in the 2009 world championships in Italy. The bubbly, vivacious swimmer from Brisbane is also a notable cross-over athlete who represents Australia in the 400-, 800- and 1500-meter events in major international competitions and helps share the open water story among her pool friends and fans. She also won the US$10,000 winner-take-all RCP Tiburon Mile in another close race this year. It is for her focus and tenacity that led to an ushering in of a new era that we nominate Melissa as the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Women of the Year.

5. Angela Maurer (Germany), Professional Swimmer and Mother

Like Olympic sprinter Dara Torres, Olympian Angela continues to be a truly world-class swimmer while not only raising a child, but also being significantly older than her fellow competitors. A year after just missing an Olympic 10K bronze medal by 0.9 seconds, Angela won the 25K world championships in a tough race in Rome after placing fifth in the world championship 10K. She now has won 8 FINA world championship medals. At the age of 35, Angela remains active on the FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup and FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix circuits. She finished third at the 10K NYC Pro Swim (USA), third in the Copenhagen (Denmark) World Cup, third in the Lake Annecy (France) World Cup, fourth in the Varna (Bulgaria) World Cup, second in the Setubal (Portugal) World Cup, seventh in the Santos (Brazil) World Cup, third in the Chun An (China) World Cup and second in the 15K Sumidero Canyon (Mexico) Grand Prix. For her unique lifestyle balance between motherhood and remaining on top of the professional marathon swimming world, Angela is nominated for the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.

6. Mighty Mermaids (USA), Masters Team Extraordinaire

The Mighty Mermaids are a group of six American women – all in their 50’s – who are among the most committed and fastest masters marathon swimmers on the planet. The Mighty Mermaids are extremely serious, fit and focused swimmers with a mission to demonstrate that swimming fast and having fun is easily within the realm of women north of the mid-century mark. Christie Plank Ciraulo (55 of Los Angeles), Nancy Steadman Martin (54 of New Jersey), Lisa Bennett (53 of Virginia), Jenny Cook (51 of Los Angeles), Karen Farnsworth Einsidler (53 of New Jersey) and Tracy Grilli (52 of New Hampshire) finished fifth overall in the 2009 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim in 7 hours and 33 minutes after their inaugural swim at the 2008 Trans Tahoe Relay where they were the second-fastest female team and 24th overall. But beating younger teams is not their only goal, they are great ambassadors of health and the sport of open water swimming – making friends, sharing stories and inspiring others from shore-to-shore. Individually, they continue to win open water swims while maintaining a healthy lifestyle balancing family, work and training. It is their mission and track record of success for collectively nominating the Mighty Mermaids as the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Women of the Year.

7. Sally Minty-Gravett (Jersey), Teacher, Motivator and Coach

As the only woman to successfully cross the English Channel in four different decades (1975, 1985, 1992 and 2005), Sally Minty-Gravett promotes and manages the Jersey Long Distance Swimming Club , a fabulously successful marathon swimming team, that is headquartered in the isle of Jersey in the middle of the English Channel. With an energy and enthusiasm second to none, Sally’s reach is both local and global: she teaches swimming to thousands of Jersey residents as well as develops and escorts swimmers with aims at marathon swims around the world. Sally has trained generations of Round Jersey swimmers (66K) and English Channel swimmers with incomparable patience, care, diligence and expertise, including four over the course of one week this August. For her ability to help swimmers achieve goals beyond their initial dreams and her immeasurable influence on individuals who chose to swim in the longest and coldest venues around the world, Sally is nominated as the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.

8. Poliana Okimoto (Brazil), Crème de la Crème Professional Swimmer

The physical presence of the slender and polite Poliana belies her intensity and focus on becoming the best in the world. Poliana travels the world seeking to race the best in all kinds of open water races – from 1-mile invitational swims in Great Britain to professional World Cup races in South America. Poliana, who placed seventh in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in Beijing, is only getting faster and better with the experience. She will win the FINA 10KM Marathon Swimming World Cup title this year after winning the 10K New York City (USA) World Cup, the Copenhagen (Denmark) World Cup, the Lake Annecy (France) World Cup, the Setubal (Portugal) World Cup and the Chun An (China) World Cup and placing second in the Varna (Bulgaria) World Cup and the Santos (Brazil) World Cup. For her success on the FINA World Cup circuit and her sense of adventure, tenacity and perseverance in exploiting her full potential as a marathon swimmer, Poliana is nominated as the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.

9. Penny Palfrey (Australia), Marathon Swimmer Adventurer

Penny travels the world with her husband, tackling tough marathon swims while maintaining a healthy business at home. In 2009, she became the second person ever to swim the treacherous, shark-infested 70K Alenuihaha Channel from the Big Island of Hawaii to Maui. The gutsy 70K (43 miles) swim took 14 hours and 51 minutes where Penny was tossed about by occasional 6-meter (20-foot) ocean swells where her crew would lose sight of her. She quickly followed up that effort with a 14.5K (8.8-mile) swim across the Maui Channel, together with her husband, from Maui to Lanai, becoming the first women to achieve this feat. She next entered the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim where she placed finished first among women for the third year in a row in 7 hours 17 minutes. Later, she was thwarted in a reverse Manhattan Island swim where she attempted the risky swim against the currents for 28.5 miles around New York. She started off the year participating in the 120K triple-crossing of Lake Taupo, the biggest lake in New Zealand, finishing in 33 hours and 33 minutes with 5 teammates. She also became the first person to swim 64K from Santa Barbara Island to the California mainland in 17 hours and 53 minutes. For her adventurous spirit, her obvious athletic abilities, her fearlessness and willingness to traverse the world in search of marathon swimming feats, Penny is nominated as the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.

10. Keri-Anne Payne (Great Britain), World-class Racer

After winning the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim silver medal, Keri-Anne’s unique racing strategy – always out in the front while pushing the pace – has become her signature style. Her successful track record and growing expectation that she will be the Olympic 10K favorite in London in 2012 has added to the pressure on the young woman’s shoulders – but her steely resolve, training regimen and quiet intensity keep her grounded and focused. Accessible to the media with thoughtful answers explained graciously and profoundly, Keri-Anne has become the face of marathon swimming in Great Britain. She won the prestigious 10K race at the World Swimming Championships in Rome using her well-developed navigational IQ and has raced in several other invitational races and FINA 10KM Marathon Swimming World Cup events around the world. For the world champion that she is and for serving as a wonderful ambassador of the sport and her country, Keri-Anne is nominated as the 2009 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Olympic Disappointments And Ambitions

Natalie du Toit, one of the most amazing individuals we know in open water swimming, talked about her experiences in the Olympics:

"My biggest career disappointment was swimming into the first buoy during my Olympic 10K Marathon Swim and losing my cap, placing only 16th after having set my sights on placing top five. [But I hope] to qualify for the 800-meter freestyle in the pool at the 2012 London Olympics as well as placing in the top three, in the 10K open water."

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

World Championship Tidbits - Feeding Disadvantage

The open water swimming community has often heard of the heroics of Natalie du Toit, the remarkable amputee swimmer who placed fourth at the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Championship 10K race and finaled in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in Beijing.

However, hearing first-hand how she is at a disdvantage when feeding during a 10K race was heartbreaking.

"I can't take a drink at the feeding station because I get unbalanced," explained Natalie without a hint of complaint or excuse. "I don't have muscle in my left (upper) leg, so it is hard. I put gel packs in my swimsuit and take those."

Despite her physical disadvantage, the inner strength and commitment to the sport shown by this incredible woman is inspirational and moves many to tears. Even the Olympic 10K gold medalist Larisa Ilchenko once remarked that Natalie is the most remarkable athlete in the sport.

The REUTERS photo of the 10K race feeding station at the 2009 World Swimming Championships was taken by Alessandro Bianchi.

Note: Coaches place flags at the end of their feeding sticks in order to help their athletes quickly identify their location from the water as they swim towards them. FINA regulates the dimensions of the flags.

Doubling Up In Rome

The 25K race at the World Swimming Championships has been moved up a day and is now reportedly scheduled for July 23rd instead of July 24th. This means that women who are doubling up on the 10K and 25K races (e.g., Eva Fabian) have only one day between their two events.

There also appears a small possibility of a postponement in the first open water swimming.open water race of the championship (5K) on Sunday, July 19th. Due to possibly deteriorating weather conditions, the women's and men's races may be postponed to Monday, July 20th. This would mean the women who are doubling up on the 5K and 10K races (e.g., Emily Brunemann and Natalie du Toit) would also have back-to-back days of racing.

It should be carefully noted that the decisions have yet to be officially announced, but the possibility is being discussed among athletes and coaches. Updates as we hear them will be posted here.

"Expect the unexpected" continues to be the mantra of open water swimming.

Ambassador Extraordinaire Signs With Blueseventy

SWIMTECHGEEK reported that Olympic 10K gold medalist and open water swimming superstar Maarten van der Weijden has signed with blueseventy as its ambassador extraordinaire.

"We are thrilled to sign Maarten," says Roque Santos, Vice President of Swimming at blueseventy. "I was in Beijing, where Maarten wore our nero 10K suit. It was amazing to watch him take the gold in blueseventy. Maarten is truly an incredible person and his story is one for the ages."

Although Maarten was not considered to be a pre-race favorite by the mainstream media, we had identified Maarten in a pre-Olympic article as a darkhorse favorite based on his training regimen leading up to the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim.

In the August 4, 2008 article, we compared Maarten with 1964 Olympic hero Billy Mills who won a thrilling 10,000-meter run in Tokyo. In the article, we predicted, "...Someone - perhaps Natalie du Toit or Maarten van der Weijden - in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim is going to have a tremendous surge at the end of the 10K swim and go down in Olympic history at the first Olympic 10K Marathon Swim champion..."

Like Billy Mills who has lived his life inspiring others as a true Olympic role model, Maarten's life and exploits are truly one for the ages as Roque describes.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

An Incredible International Open Water Competition

The 1st Seoul International Para Open Water Championships and the 3rd National Para Open Water Championships will be held in the Han River that runs through Seoul, Korea between July 9-12.

The event is for those who are classified as S1-10 disabled athletes and is sanctioned by the International Paralympic Committee. S1-S4 swimmers can receive navigational assistance.

Reportedly inspired by Natalie du Toit of South Africa and the inclusion of the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim at the Beijing Olympic Games, this event is the world’s first officially certified 5K open water international competition for disabled athletes.

After hosting domestic 1.6K open water swims in 2007 and 2008, the Seoul Disabled Swimming Federation established the first international open water swimming event for disabled swimmers in 2009.

According to USA Swimming's Dave Thomas who will be a technical delegate to this event, there was a 5K open water race in Argentina for the 2002 World Championships and again in 2006 at the world championships in Durban, South Africa, but this will be the first international swimming competition for the disabled held in Korea and the first stand-alone 5K international open water competition for disabled athletes.

In an amazingly positive view of the future, Korea is looking forward to a time when the Paralympics adopts open water swimming in the same way that the Olympic Games adopted open water swimming in 2009.

Coming Together For the World Swimming Championships

The World Swimming Championships are coming up in Rome in July, the first major international competition after the successful Beijing Olympics.

The national governing bodies at the elite levels of marathon swimming prepare and select their top athletes in a variety of ways.

The Mexican national open water team was selected during the races on the FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix circuit in Mexico.

Germany is holding their national team qualification races in a lake in Germany in a few weeks.

Russia is holding their qualifications at their national 5K, 10K and 16K championships in late June in Anapa in the Black Sea.

Canada and the USA are jointly holding their qualification races in the Ft. Myers beach in Florida in mid-June. USA Swimming will conduct one race (the 10K) off of which all its 5K, 10K and 25K swimmers will be chosen.

Australia and New Zealand held their respective world championship qualification races at the Australian Age and Open Water Swimming Championships in Sydney in February.

British Swimming is holding its qualification races at the first stage of the LEN Open Water Swimming Cup (Ligue Europeenne de Natation) 10K race in Israel this weekend. Besides the top European swimmers, including Olympians Brian Ryckeman of Belgium and Richard Charlesworth of Great Britain, Natalie du Toit will also compete in a tune-up swim for the World Swimming Championships.

While Brian has already qualified for Belgium, Richard and Natalie still must perform well to represent their countries. Natalie only has to swim under 2:30 to qualify, which should not be a problem. "It's a pretty tough time, but I am getting better and better at open water. I've got a few races coming up and I'm feeling sort of confident, sort of not. I've put so much into the 10K and I'm really looking forward to the world championships."

The Italians welcomed Natalie in their national championships which will concurrently serve as their qualification races including the 5K race in Piombino on June 7th, the 10K race in Lerici on June 2nd and the 25K race in Formia on June 14th.

As the summer months roll on, the world prepares for Rome.

Photo of Luca Ferritti of Italy by Giorgio Scala of deepbluemedia.

An Amazing Journey - Documented in Japanese

Nihon TV, a large Japanese broadcaster, aired a touching one-hour documentary on the amazing Olympic journey of open water swimmer Natalie du Toit.

Although the documentary is in Japanese, you can see portions of the documentary here.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Meeting the Challenge in Cold Cadiz

We previously reported on the recent 7.5K Cadiz Freedom Swim in where Olympic 10K swimmer Natalie du Toit set a new record in 13°C (55.4°F) waters from Robben Island to the finish at Blouberg's Big Bay in South Africa.

Below is a 5-minute video on the event from Zoopy:

Cadiz Freedom Swim Delayed Record

Olympic 10K swimmer Natalie du Toit broke a 22-year-old record at the 7.5K Cadiz Freedom Swim in South Africa this past weekend, despite very trying conditions.

Natalie won in 1 hour and 35 minutes, less than a minute in front of the men's winner, Tyron Venter.

After a postponement of the race on Saturday due to strong winds and adverse ocean conditions, the 275 solo and relay swimmer gathered again on Sunday only to face another delay of nearly 4 hours due to a heavy fog.

When the fog finally lifted, the swimmers jumped into the 13°C (55.4°F) waters - with possible Great White sharks - to traverse 7.5K from Robben Island* to the finish at Blouberg's Big Bay.



Typical to her thoughtful nature, Natalie said that although she was delighted to win, she felt privileged to have participated in an event which raised funds for the children of Vista Nova School.

Final results are as follows:


Solo Men:
1st Tyron Venter – 1:36:39
2nd Phillip Chappell – 1:45:45
3rd Anton Botha – 1:46:48
4th Robert Mason – 1:50:06

Solo Female:
1st Natalie du Toit – 1:35:45
2nd Liz Webb – 2:01:21
3rd Sanmari Woithe – 2:04:18
4th Lara Truter – 2:08:20

Schools Relay:
1st Paul Roos Gymnasium - 1:46:17
2nd Rhenish Starfishes - 1:46:43
3rd Camps Bay High Dolphins - 1:52:43

Relay Non-wetsuits
1st Fantastic Four - 1:39:12
2nd Team Turbo – 1:49:00
3rd Camps Bay High Dolphins - 1:52:43
Kevin’s Aquatic Tigers - 1:55:05

Relay Wetsuits
1st Koos Kwaak and the Waveriders - 1:38:45
2nd Barbie and Ken - 1:41:28
3rd Psycho Shenanigans - 1:45:28

Longest in the water:
Male: Clint Williams - 3:23:34
Female: Jobre Stassen – 3:07:25

Additionally, veteran swimmer Theodore Yach for successfully completing his 54th channel crossing.

* Robben Island is a World Heritage site where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years.


Photos above show Natalie and a male swimmer finishing at the 2008 event. Photos from the 2009 event will be uploaded to the Cadiz Freedom Swim website later this week.

A Bamberg Sportsman of the Year

In 2008, Michael Phelps and Natalie du Toit were selected as America's and South Africa's Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year.

Because of the earliest England-to-France channel crossing in history in 17 hours and 16 minutes in ~59°F water, Christian Hübner. was nominated for his hometown's Sportsman of the Year award - Bamberg, a town in Bavaria, Germany.

Online voting for Christian is conducted until February 22nd at here.

For those who do not speak German, click here and click on the yellow star below Christian's photo.

Taking On Another Challenge

Natalie du Toit of South Africa’s qualification for the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim was among the nominations for the Top Ten Open Water Swimming Moments in History.

Similar to her challenging road to Beijing, Natalie encountered obstacles, but eventually achieved success, in her final open water swim of the year in 2008.

Her December 28th victory in the 6K Sabrina Love Ocean Challenge was described as an absolutely blistering performance from an enormously inspiring athlete.

Because the weather was horrendous and ocean swells were dangerous, the event was shifted from its usual ocean location to Central Beach in Plettenberg Bay (previously referred to as ‘Bahia Formosa’ or ‘beautiful bay’ in Portuguese). Because the water was very shallow in place and Natalie can’t simply stand up to walk through the sand patches, it was a real challenge. But, she won the event in 54:35 (second overall to winning Chad Ho’s 53:45).

"Safety considerations forced us to call off the 6K and the 0.6K kid’s race, but Magnetic South pulled the rabbit out of the hat and set new courses on the Keurbooms Lagoon so the day went off without a hitch," said the Sabrina Love Foundation’s Tony Lubner. "What amazed us, though, was the number of entries that poured in: I think it’s well over a thousand - double what we had last year."

Photos by Magnetic South and Martin Hatchuel.

A Profile in Courage

Olympic Central reported that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) gave another (indirect) honor to open water swimming and to Natalie du Toit at its Olympic Golden Rings ceremony at The Olympic Museum in Lausanne.

The Beijing Olympics were the most-watched Olympics in history with more television coverage (over 220 territories) and more viewers. 27 films were reviewed by an international jury, chaired by IOC Honorary President Juan Antonio Samaranch, with 12 winners in 4 categories. The Olympic Golden Rings recognize the best television images of the summer and winter Olympic Games.

In the Best Athletes’ Profile, the bronze was awarded to NBC Olympics for its "Profile on Natalie du Toit", produced by Dick Ebersol, David Neal, Mark Levy, Brian Brown and Phil Parrish.

Photo by Pei Qingsheng.

Copyright © 2008 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Celebrating Freedom in the Open Water

The 7.5K Cadiz Freedom Swim, held annually in April, is one of the toughest major cold water races in the world – 7.5K from the shores of Robben Island, across the famous Robben Island channel, to the Big Bay beach on Cape Town’s False Bay coast.

Robben Island is located offshore from Cape Town, South Africa and was used as a cruel prison for nearly 400 years.

From 1964 to 1982, Robben Island was the prison for Nelson Mandela. Today, the island is a World Heritage site and offers one of the world’s great channel challenges. The Robben Island channel is known for its bitterly cold water (around 13°C or 55.4°F) and strong, unpredictable currents.

The annual swim takes place this year on April 25th, celebrating Freedom Day in South Africa, the day Nelson Mandela won the 1994 election in South Africa. The solo race is conducted under English Channel rules (i.e., no wetsuits). The race also has several types of relays: 2 swimmers, 4 swimmers, no wetsuits, wetsuits, corporate with wetsuits optional, school with wetsuits (ages 12-18).

Over 200 swimmers are expected in April 2009, including Olympian Natalie du Toit who has won the women’s division every year she has participated, Carina Brewer (shown to left) and Theo Yacht.

Photo of Robben Island from Cape Swim website. Photo of Carina Brewer from her website.

Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association

Olympians Meet Expectations in Africa

Chad Ho and Natalie du Toit both won the 5K open water swim at the 2008 African Swimming Championships in Johannesburg, South Africa this weekend.

In a highly anticipated showdown between the top African continental open water swimmers, Chad easily beat Egypt’s Mazen Aziz 58:39 to 1:00.56 in the 5K course in Germiston Lake.

Mazen had performed very well on the FINA World Cup circuit this year, including a win in Traversee Internacionale du Lac St-Jean, but he did not have it yesterday after a very long 2008 season. "It's been a long year of swimming," agreed Chad. "I will take a short break before focusing on my preparations towards next year's FINA World Championships to be held in Rome, Italy."



Fellow Olympian 10K’er Natalie du Toit similarly won the women’s race in 1:04:01 over South African teammate, Dominique Dryding (1:06.43) and Tunisia's Sarra Lajnef (1:10.08).

Natalie said, "The water was warm which made for great swimming conditions and I really enjoyed the swim, considering I hadn't put in the mileage that I would normally have clocked ahead of an event of this nature."

Information provided by Swimming South Africa.

Photo of Natalie at the 2007 Sabrina Love Ocean Challenge.

Both Chad and Natalie are nominees for the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year and World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year awards.

2008 World Open Water Swimming Woman and Man of the Year

Voting for the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year and the World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year continues.

Details of the 14 male nominees are posted here and of the 11 female nominees are posted here.

Last night at the European Parliament in Brussels, one of the nominees, Natalie du Toit of South Africa received Natalie du Toit won the International Association for Human Values (IAHV) Youth Leadership Award 2008. The award recognizes young leaders with an astonishing track record of performance and/or social responsibility.

IAHV selected Natalie because of her raw defiance in not giving up on her goals. "We admire her indomitable will and strong determination, and the fact that she has become a source of inspiration to the youth of her country," said Christoph Glaser, a member of the IAHV Board in Europe.

"It is a real honor to be representing South Africa and to receive this award, especially at this prestigious event which includes such esteemed delegates," says the always humble Natalie. "I would like to give a message to everyone: it is possible for everybody to achieve something. You don’t have to be the best singer but you can still write your song. I would also like to thank everyone for their support: the public in South Africa, the people close to me, everyone. Without teamwork these types of awards would not be possible. I feel that the coming months will be very special."

Natalie received the award at the Ethics in Business – Corporate Culture & Spirituality Conference at the European Parliament that brought together a diverse mix of politicians, academics, business and spiritual leaders to dialogue on the global financial crisis and its connection to ethics in business.

"This will be an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. I have learned many values and lessons and hope that many more people will have this opportunity in the future."

Copyright by Open Water Source

Copyright © 2008 by Open Water Source

2008 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year

The World Open Water Swimming Association will conduct a poll to select the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year and the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year on January 1, 2009. These awards will be based on the poll posted here (to the left) at Open Water Source.

These awards are not necessarily for the best athlete, but are meant to honor the man and woman who (1) best embody the spirit of open water swimming, (2) possess the sense of adventure, tenacity and perseverance that open water swimmers are known for, and (3) have most positively influenced the world of open water swimming in 2008.

The top vote-getters in each region will also be honored as the 2008 Asia/Oceania Open Water Swimming Person of the Year, the 2008 European Open Water Swimming Person of the Year and the 2008 Americas Open Water Swimming Person of the Year.

You can vote for two athletes: one male and one female.

While all these individuals have enjoyed remarkable careers in the sport of open water swimming as athletes, coaches, promoters, writers, directors and/or administrators, please vote your choice based on their achievements during 2008.

The 11 female nominees, listed in alphabetical order, are as follows:

1. Marcia Cleveland (USA), Administrator, Promoter and Coach:

Marcia is the long-time Chair of the US Masters Swimming (USMS) Open Water & Long Distance Committee, a member of the USMS History & Archives Committee, and a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame Nominating Committee, devoting thousands of hours in 2008 to developing the sport of open water swimming. She is the chief administrator for the annual USMS national championship events, including the 1 Mile Open Water Championships,
2 Mile Open Water Championships, 2-Mile Cable Championships, 5K Mile Open Water Championships, 10K Open Water Championships, 25K Open Water Championships, 1-hour Postal Championships, 5K and 10K Postal Championships, and the 3000/6000 Yard Postal Championships. She also offers coaching and clinics for open water swimmers, many in response to the publication of the second edition of her popular book, Dover Solo: Swimming the English Channel book. She navigated innumerable key issues in the sport during 2008 including the use of wetsuits and high-tech swim suits in USMS competitions. As married mother of two, she also made time to complete an unprecedented 12 hour and 49 minute 40K (25-mile) Chicago Skyline Swim.

2. Natalie du Toit (South Africa), Inspirational Athlete and Spokeswoman:

Natalie deservedly gained global fame when she became the first amputee to qualify for an Olympic final among able-bodied athletes. Despite an admittedly disappointing 16th-place finish in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim, she captured the hearts of fans around the world in 2008. She carried the flag for South Africa at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2008 Paralympics and was the feature of touching tributes from the U.S. (by NBC) to South Africa (SuperSport and ESPN Africa) to Japan (Fuji TV). She was fourth in the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Championships in the 10K marathon swim that served as the pressure-packed Olympic qualification race. Selected as one of the Top 100 Athletes to Watch by Time Magazine, she also spent innumerable hours giving speeches and providing motivation to many, never complaining or making excuses for her disability while smiling and sharing good times with her teammates, competitors and fans.
[Photo by The Rapport]

3. Jennifer Figge (USA), Atlantic Ocean Adventurer:

A 56-year-old gregarious mother training for a 2,100 solo swim odyssey across the Atlantic Ocean is unprecedented. Her remarkable confidence in herself convinced a pilot and his crew to spend over two months at sea and a land-based support team to assist her. Jennifer starts on December 1 and, although she will not be finished within calendar year 2008, her audacity to even attempt a solo swim from the Cape Verde Islands off the coast of Africa to Barbados is worthy of attention and wonder. Throughout the months of December and January, and possibly into February, she will be swimming 6-8 hours per day in a shark cage and then resting on her escort boat that will float as the currents allow. The distance and time swum will be carefully logged and monitored by GPS online for all to see. Whether or not she completes her goal, the extreme nature of her marathon swim requires tremendous guts just to start and head off swimming to another continent.

4. Larisa Ilchenko (Russia), Olympic Champion:

Larisa completely dominated the world of open water swimming and every event she participated in 2008. Her aggressive racing strategy culminated in an exciting come-from-behind victory in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim at the Beijing Olympics. In addition to her Olympic gold-medal performance, Larisa won the European Open Water Swimming Championships in the 10K and FINA 10KM Marathon Swimming World Cup races in Singapore, Hong Kong, Cancun (Mexico) and Santos (Brazil). No matter what the venue, competition or conditions, Larisa comes through at the end with her classic trademark finish. Her dominance as an athlete can be compared to many greats in other eras and in other sports, from Steffi Graf in tennis to Nadia Comaneci in gymnastics.
[Photo by Pei Qingsheng]

5. Britta Kamrau (Germany), Professional Swimmer:

Britta shockingly did not qualify for the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in early 2008, but like a true competitor, she came back from that loss. She went on to win the 15K Sumidero Canyon Swimming Marathon (Mexico) FINA Grand Prix and the $10,000 winner-take-all RCP Tiburon Mile, the world’s richest pro race. Britta also finished 2nd in the 32K Traversée Internationale du lac St-Jean (Canada) FINA Grand Prix, 3rd in the 19K Sabac Swim Marathon (Serbia) FINA Grand Prix, 3rd in the FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup in Cancun (Mexico), and competed in FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cups in Hong Kong and Shantou (China) and the 36K Marathon Del Golfo Capri-Napoli (Italy) FINA Grand Prix. She also captured a silver in the 5K individual, bronze in the 5K team trial and silver in the 25K races at the European Open Water Swimming Championships in Croatia. A versatile competitor who can swim well in both cold and warm water conditions, Britta continues to represent her sport in a professional manner.

6. Angela Maurer (Germany), Professional Swimmer and Mother:

After retiring and giving birth to her first child, Angela learned that open water swimming was added to the Olympics. Determined to represent her country, Angela began a comeback and finished a remarkable fourth, only 0.9 seconds from a bronze, in the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim. In a sport dominated by teenagers, Angela won the FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup in Lac St-Jean, finished 2nd at the FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cups in Cancun (Mexico) and Setubal (Portugal), and finished 3rd at the FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cups in Singapore and Shantou (China). Incredibly, after focusing on the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim, Angela continued to travel the world and won the overall FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cup series at the age of 34.

7. Sandy Neilson-Bell (USA), Race Director and Promoter:

Together with her renowned husband Dr. Keith Bell, Sandy co-developed the very successful and innovative open water swimming events of the American Swimming Association. The races in 2008 included the Money Box Cap 2K, the 12-mile Lake Travis Relay, the Open Water Texas High School State Championships, Volente Beach Open Water Family Gala, Highland Lakes Challenge, Dam 5K, ASA Open Water Collegiate National Championships, Quarries Open Water Festival and the Polar Bear Swim. The 1972 Olympic triple gold medal sprinter made a comeback in the 1980’s by getting re-invigorated with open water training and competitions. Channeling this energy in race creation, promotion and management, Sandy and her long-distance loving husband jumped into open water swimming with a fresh perspective, a deep love of the sport and heartfelt concern for athletes, offering an open water swimming oasis among the rolling hill country of Texas.

8. Penny Palfrey (Australia), Marathon Swimming Adventurer:

A 46-year-old dynamo and a small business owner, Penny had a tremendous year in 2008 starting off with a 3rd in the 19K Rottnest Channel Swim in western Australia only a few months after a major operation. She continued to build strength and won the 39K (24 miles) Tampa Bay Marathon Swim in Florida, only 10 minutes slower than the overall record held by a man. In July, after yet another round-trip to her home in Australia, Penny returned to defend her title at the 48K (28.5 miles) Manhattan Island Marathon Swim where she got 2nd overall as the first woman. Later, she became the first person to swim 45K (24 nautical miles) across the shark-infested Santa Barbara Channel from San Miguel Island to the California mainland, taking 11 hours and 29 minutes to fight against stiff winds and cold water. For good measure and together with her husband Chris, Penny also completed an unprecedented 10K swim in the often rough channel between the islands of Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz way off the California coast. Given the number of air miles required to do these swims and her versatility to swim well in both warm and cold water and in the roughest conditions possible, Penny is the epitome of a great marathon swimmer totally committed to the sport.

9. Shelley Taylor-Smith (Australia), Passionate Promoter and Global Administrator:

2008 was the year that culminated in Shelley’s three-decade dream to bring open water swimming to the Olympics. As the Honorary Secretary of the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee, Shelley was instrumental in planning and pulling off the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim. With attention to detail and a passion characteristic of a seven-time world marathon swimming champion, Shelley traveled the world to plan, promote and oversee the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim. In addition, Shelley participated in the 19K Rottnest Channel Swim and the Eco West Coast 1000 as a swimmer. As a FINA representative, she participated in the FINA Extraordinary Congress in the U.K. to review and approve FINA open water swimming rules, the FINA Referees and Officials Clinic in Indonesia, the World Open Water Swimming Championships in Spain and the Olympic 10K Qualification Swim in Beijing, the FINA Referees and Open Water Swimming Clinic in China, the FINA 10K Marathon Swimming World Cups in Hong Kong and Singapore, the Asian Beach Games in Indonesia. As a tribute to all her efforts in 2008 and throughout her career, Shelley was honored by the International Swimming Hall of Fame for achievements in marathon swimming and received the Davids-Wheeler Award for contributions to the sport of marathon swimming.

10. Edith van Dijk (Netherlands), Open Water Swimming Legend:

Based on her remarkable career as multiple world champion in the 10K and 25K distances, expectations were high for Edith in 2008 when she came back from retirement after giving birth to her daughter. Ever gracious with her time and courtly in her demeanor, Edith started her comeback at the 57K Maraton Acuatica Rio Coronda FINA Grand Prix (Argentina) where she got second in 8 hours and 29 minutes. She followed up this valient comeback by qualifying for the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim and taking silver in the 25K at the 2008 World Open Water Swimming Championships. After finishing 14th in at the Olympics, Edith placed 4th in the 5K, 4th in the 10K (only 3.1 seconds behind Larisa Ilchenko) and tied for 4th in the 25K at the European Open Water Swimming Championships as a testament to her versatility and passion for the sport. As she announced her retirement after the European championships, the sport will miss this woman of stature and remarkable abilities.

11. Zhang “Vivien” Liang (China), Beijing Olympic Volunteer Extraordinaire:

Vivien was everywhere before, during and after the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim in Beijing. The amazingly patient and professional bilingual interpreter tirelessly kept the FINA delegation, ambitious athletes from 28 countries, anxious coaches, impatient administrators and high-strung media representatives up-to-date and informed about the Olympic 10K Qualification Swim in June and the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim during the Beijing Olympics. With very little room for error, Vivien had to balance the expectations of the open water swimming community with the needs of the world’s media, Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee executives and the International Olympic Committee members. Her translation skills and disarming smile went a long way in resolving issues to everyone’s satisfaction and making everyone feel the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim was an outstanding event.
[Photo of Vivien with the FINA President Mustapha Larfaoui]

Copyright © 2008 by World Open Water Swimming Association