Amelia Rodd and Bailey Hairsine top the rankings of the 2019 British Swimming Open Water Race Series.
The annual British Swimming Open Water Race Series allowed competitors to score points at two events this year; the Great East Swim (5km) and Swim Sepentine (3.2km), after the difficult decision to cancel the Great North Swim leg of the series due to bad weather.
Scoring top points in both events, Amelia Rodd of Ellesmere Titans secured the women’s title with 40 points, ahead of Teigan Child (34 points) and Daisy Hill (30 points).
In the men’s event it was last year’s runner up Bailey Hairsine who went one better to head up the standings. The City of Manchester swimmer scored 37 points to in a close contest, with Isaac Dodds second (35 points) and Jackson O’Rouke third (32 points).
In addition to the prize money collected, both winners will receive an opportunity to attend a British Swimming Open Water Programme activity.
British Swimming’s Marathon Lead Bernie Dietzig commented on the series:
“We have a lot of talented and hardworking athletes in this country who dedicate hours within a pool, and the Great British Open Water Race Series creates an opportunity for us to encourage more swimmers to try the discipline at well organised race opportunities.
"With some of our younger marathon swimmers in action at these events, there’s a unique opportunity for us to identify new talent, which with the right stepping stones can hopefully progress to the next level.”
Details of the 2020 British Swimming Open Water elite series will be revealed in due course.