Swim Rotorua impress at Secondary School Open Water Nationals

Swim Rotorua athletes made a splash at the schools' open water national champs.

Swim Rotorua athletes produced some excellent racing at the Secondary Schools Open Water Nationals.

The event was combined with the popular Sand to Surf leg of the Ocean Series and was held at the beautiful sandy beaches of Mount Maunganui.

Swim Rotorua's open-water specialist Emily Spear was representing Bethlehem College and put in a good shift to consolidate her excellent start to the season. In the girls' 14-15 years age group, she took silver in the 2.6km race.

Despite the windy and choppy conditions - the course was shortened to 2km - Emily still managed to finish in 23m 47s. Her performance also earned her fourth place across all age groups and a bronze medal in the Ocean Series 15-19 years category.

James Baldwin, of Rotorua Boys High School, showed off his open-water credentials to take the bronze medal in the 16-19 years age group. The race came down to a sprint finish with James holding on for third place with a time of 6m 5s.

Molly Sinclair, of John Paul College, raced to 13th place in the girls' 14-15 years age group. Sam Trass, of Lakes High School, placed 11th in the boys' 12-13 years 1.25km race.

In the Ocean Series event, David Boles beat all comers to win the 2.6km race (shortened to 2km) with a time of 20m 55s to finish 20 seconds clear of his nearest rival.

William Spear, now studying at Victoria University of Wellington, was a surprise winner in the boys' 2.6km non-wetsuit 15-19 years age group.

- Supplied content