Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 127, February 2020 | Page 41

ADVERTORIAL
Chad Ho, Michael McGlynn
& Henre Louw
Double Delight as SA
Swimmers Dominate Midmar
It was a day for South African celebrations as the Durban duo of Robyn Kinghorn
and Michael McGlynn wrapped up the women and men’s titles at the aQuellé
Midmar Mile on 9 February.
I
Robyn Kinghorn
nternational swimmers have dominated the elite
events in recent years, with the last double home
victory coming in 2016 from Michelle Weber and
Chad Ho. Those 2016 champions, who are both
looking towards Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualification
later in the year, were aiming for a repeat of that feat in
this year’s race, but were beaten in dominant fashion.
Both Kinghorn and McGlynn mastered the choppy
conditions to perfection as they they powered to
the front of their respective races, and could not be
caught over the mile-long course.
Best of the Speedsters
Kinghorn chose a line across the dam that was well
to the right of the chasing pack and it proved a wise
choice as she stayed in front to finish in 21 minutes 16
seconds. Samantha Randle finished in second place
11 seconds later, with Victoria Earle third in 21:30 and
Weber home fourth. “The chop was extremely bad,
so looking up I did get quite a few waves in my face,”
said 20-year-old Kinghorn afterwards. “I didn’t really
know where I was going, so swimming along and
seeing the others in a bunch was quite concerning,
but I just put my head down and went for it.”
The men’s race saw McGlynn also well out in front from
the start, apparently relishing the challenging rough
conditions. Having finished second in last year’s race,
he was determined to win this time, and he reached
the finish in 18:26. Seven-time champion Ho was
Michael McGlynn
second in 19:02, with Henré Louw third a further five
seconds later. Describing the line he took across the
dam, McGlynn said, “I decided to just go with what felt
right, and that was the middle. It changes every year.
I’m a sea swimmer as well, so these conditions kind of
played into my hands and it was my day. It’s my first
win, and I’m glad I could do it for South Africa as well.”
Ones for the Ages
Earlier in the day, before the wind picked up, American
Lexie Kelly once again dominated the women’s 31-40
age category, winning the race in 22:36. “It was so
awesome, it was so smooth. The water was really
glassy. I got in a nice little pack with some guys and
had a really good line and a beautiful swim,” she said
afterwards. “This is my fourth win in a row, and my goal
is to win the full decade from 30 and over.”
One of the most impressive swims of the day came
from 1977 Midmar champion Paul Blackbeard,
soon to turn 62, who not only won the men’s 61 to
Paul Blackbeard
70 category in 21:34, but emerged from the water as
overall winner of the second event, for swimmers 13 and
under and 30 and over. “It was better than yesterday,
still a bit bumpy, but it was a nice swim and the water is
nice and clean. I thought there would be a 13-year-old
much closer to me, so that was a bit of a surprise that a
61-year-old can win it,” said the former South Africa star
who is now based in Perth and owns every Australian
record in his age group from 100 to 1500m freestyle.
Meanwhile, among the future stars of the sport, Bailey
Forrest won the girls’ 13 and under race in 23:39 and
Connor Reinders won the boys 13 and under category in
22:48. Also making his way across the dam on Sunday
was former backstroke World Champion Gerhard
Zandberg who represented South Africa at four World
Championships and two Olympic Games. “It’s tough for
me, because I like the shorter stuff. To swim for 20 to 25
minutes full speed in choppy water is a challenge, but
it’s fun. At 500 to 600m you start looking up and seeing if
it’s getting any closer,” he admitted with a laugh.
Second Chances
Elsewhere, Ebrahim Mahomed from Pietermaritzburg
was determined to finish his first ever aQuellé Midmar
Mile. It took him 1 hour 28 minutes and 5 seconds,
but that didn’t matter. The disabled swimmer, who
received a massive cheer at the finish, explained, “My
daughter has been swimming for the last two or three
years, and I only learnt how to swim last year after
watching her swim. It was a fantastic experience. I
actually did it yesterday, but there was some lightning
so they stopped the race for safety reasons when I
had about 300m left, so I wanted to do it again today.
It was tough, after yesterday’s race, but I managed,”
he added, joking that his next mission is to beat his
daughter.
Ebrahim Mahomed
To see the full results of the 2020 aQuellé Midmar Mile, go to https://results.finishtime.co.za/results.aspx?CId=35&RId=4101
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