On Saturday, the Swimming WA Open Water Swimming (OWS) Series 2023/24 season concluded with the series finale held at Swanbourne Beach. The event was made even more special by hosting WA's Big Ocean Relay for the first time. Supported by the Department of Local Sport & Cultural Industries, over 50 teams and 200 participants joined the event, eager to celebrate the end of a great season and have some fun.
The Dash for Cash was the main event, featuring the best open water swimmers in Western Australia competing for the top three spots. The competition was fierce, with top swimmers such as Kyle Lee, who is bound for the Paris 2024 Olympics, Australian Dolphin Jack Wilson, and three-time world record ultra-marathon swimmer Andy Donaldson. The event was thrilling to watch, with a cash prize of $1,000 up for grabs for each winning male and female team, along with additional prize money for the second and third-place teams.
Thirteen teams participated in a competition, consisting of eight male and five female teams. The male category was won by Bonsall's Bullets, which included Robert Bonsall, Johann Szymanski, Adam Sudlow and Kyle Lee. The Westside Boys team, including Flynn Czaplinski, Andrew Morris, Byron Kimber and Kristian Seidl, won silver medals, while the Wakey Wakey Woke Boys team, including Kaiden Richings, Jack Wilson, Ben Jones and Tex Cross, secured bronze medals.
In the female category, the top team was Splash Mob, consisting of Kate Wallington, Cassandra Loy, Christine Murray and Olivia Smith. The Sink or Swim team, including Tahlia Croome, Evie Ellerton, Mila Reyes and Lara Green, won silver, and the Driftwood team, consisting of Sarah Bond, Emma Bond, Chloe Ryan and Aimee Ryan, secured bronze. It was great to see the participants stay back to watch and cheer on these elite swimmers.
Reflecting on the conditions, Bonsall explained, “It wasn’t too bad on the first straight but during the back straight it got a bit choppy...but other than that, it was still a bit of fun.” Sudlow, his teammate, added regarding race tactics, “Yeah, just get out there and wanted to give it my best.”
Szymanski suggested, “Ah, we might go to the casino,” when asked about their plans for the prize money. Lee, amidst Olympic preparations, shared, “Yeah, it’s been good, it’s been nice to get back—busy schedule ahead of us but it’s nice to be home and see friends and family…just a lot of training really, nothing special.”
The end-of-season award ceremony was a fitting finale to a thrilling day of relay races. Swimmers of all ages had battled it out throughout the Series and now it was time to recognise their efforts.
Breakers Harvey Rowland stood out for his win in the Under 14 Male category, having improved on his third-place finish from last season. Similarly, Kate Wallington secured the Open Female category after having also finished third in the previous season.
The Elite male and female winners, Westside Christchurch’s Xavier Collins and Bianca Monaco, respectively, were repeat champions, Monaco winning for the second season in a row.
“The Swimming WA Open Water Swimming Series is the largest of its kind in Australia with thousands of swimmers taking part each year," stated Swimming WA CEO Sophie Row.
"This year we’ve seen some exciting initiatives with the introduction of open water swim clinics bringing new people into open water swimming. We also saw our inaugural interschool open water swimming championships which we held in November in Coogee and we had 35 schools take part with 430 swimmers, it was a huge success and we’ve already had a heap of schools expressing interest for the next season.
“We were thrilled to host the Australian Open Water Championships and Ocean Swim Festival in Busselton in January for the second time, showcasing our beautiful coastline and the iconic Busselton Jetty to National and International swimmers.”
“And today’s event, the Big Ocean Relay is also a new initiative bringing swimmers together to celebrate the season and take part with friends, family and colleagues. All season we’ve seen some magnificent racing.”
We want to hear from you! By completing our end of season survey, you'll have the chance to win a free season's membership with entry included into all rounds. To fill out the survey, click here.
Event Photos | WA's Big Ocean Relay Results | 2023/24 Series Results
