COPACABANA CORONATION
Australian Trent Grimsey and Brazilian Ana Marcela
Cunha are the new King and Queen of the Sea, winning their titles off Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro in December. Both Grimsey and Cuhna headed a ten-strong invitational field of professional swimmers in their Pro Challenge races. The events are part of Rei e Rainha do Mar (King and Queen of the Sea), a race series for pros and amateurs that atracts widespread interest in Brazil, including TV coverage. Cuhna won her race in 48m 44s. The 2012 King and Queen of the Sea Swim Series will
5 MINUTES WITH…
We spoke with Nuala Moore, the renowned Irish marathon swimmer and channel swimming coach
see changes in locations and courses. The first event is a triple-header, a sprint, biathlon and challenge, and takes place on 10 March on Aproador Beach. The second stage is scheduled
for 7 September, where swimmers tackle the fearsome Pedra do Pontal course, around the rock formation that divides Recreio and Macumba beaches. The final stage runs from 14-16 December, and includes amateur races as well as the King and Queen of the Sea pro races, which start at Leme Beach and finish at Copacabana. For more details visit
kingandqueenoſ
thesea.com
Nuala Moore swimming at Sybil Head on the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland, as part of her training for last summer’s Lake Zurich swim
Why the love affair with sea swimming? As kids we lived on the beach. My older brother and his friends would swim around a headland, I was only 10 or 11, so I wasn’t allowed with them. But one day I swam it myself without telling anyone. I was so busy trying to survive that I never realized the danger I was facing. I remember it so well.
Swimmers compete in waters off Brazil’s world-famous Copacabana Beach
CHANNEL SWIMMERS AWARDED
The Channel Swimming Association has announced its award winners for 2011. The Gold Medal for the fastest swim of the year went to Chloe McCardle (9h 3m), who also landed the Sotiraki Trophy for fastest crossing by a woman.
The Centenary Trophy for fastest swim
by a British person was won by Rebecca Lewis (9h 24m), while the John Unicume Trophy for fastest crossing by a man was landed by Javier Gutierrez (9h 40m). The award for the crossing in the most arduous conditions
went to Mark Seal, who swam on 9 September 2011, on the same day and at the same time as our Swim Plus contributor, Paul Newsome. Both athletes spent the day swimming into a 30-knot headwind and large breaking waves, with Paul finishing slightly ahead of Mark, in 12 hrs 14 minutes. In other CSA news, president Mike Read (pictured) was
awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours List. Read represented Great Britain at the 1960 Rome Olympics, and has held the CSA King of the Channel title for over 26 years, with 33 crossings.
What was harder: the relay around Ireland, or the relayed double English Channel crossing? Swimming around Ireland was insane. Just looking at the map and knowing that we covered every bay and lough – a total of 830 miles in 56 days, swimming up to 20 miles a day. Would I take it on now? No! I think what made it possible was our juvenile approach, thinking that all we had to do was swim! Each day we would spend 16 hours on inflatable boats without shelter. But we could not stop. The Channel was exciting, but I’m not the fastest, so my challenge was trying to pass out the swimmer ahead. I was incredibly strong when the pain hit, and that’s the beauty of relays. I loved reaching France and when the weather turned bad that excited me, too, and of course reeling in the cliffs was fantastic. Our five-strong team finished in 25 hours 15 minutes.
What events do you have planned for 2012, and what turnout are you expecting? Cuan to Ventry in Ventry Bay, The Massacre at Ballydavid and The 7 Hogs at Maharees – all good open water events. My swims are about having fun: we focus on finishing and the cup of tea!
You and Anne Marie Ward recently atempted Ireland's first ice swim, at Bloody Foreland. What was it like? Sliding into the cold water was tough, as it made breathing so difficult – you have to be careful not to let anxiety creep in. Aſter 20 minutes my body was completely numb, and the fights I had with myself were unreal. I loved finishing!
What are your plans for 2012?
Anne Marie and myself are on the 30-strong relay team that will swim the 56 miles across the Bering Strait this summer. It will be a tough, physical swim across the floes. Water temperature will be on average about 5 degrees, so a lot of preparation work will be needed, both mental and physical. This is the piece de resistance for me. Anne Marie and I are also heading to Tunisia to swim a few legs of the Swim of Peace with Nejib Belhedi in March.
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