Rotorua open-water swimmer Kane Radford has won round three of the State New Zealand Ocean Swim Series.
Radford and fellow Kiwi Charlotte Webby took full advantage of the absence of the international swimmers, convincingly winning the State Capital Classic in Wellington yesterday.
The men's race was expected to be a close affair between Radford and Auckland's Phillip Ryan, after a tight battle at the New Zealand Open Water Swim Championships in Taupo this month. But yesterday was a one-horse race, with Radford's aggressive tactics at the start paying off.
"After kind of holding back a bit this year, I thought why not go hard from the start this time and see how it goes. It turned out great, it was my own race."
Radford quickly built a big lead and won by 53 seconds. He joins Australia's Trent Grimsey and Ky Hurst as winners so far in the six-race series.