The ASA’s inaugural National Open Water Festival took place at South Yorkshire’s Rother Valley Country Park last weekend, with fourteen Age Group and Masters swimmers from Dorset heading north to participate in the event. The two-day Festival incorporates the ASA National Open Water Masters and Age Group Championships as well as a new 1,500m Challenge event with Masters competing in 1.5k and 3k events and age groupers going head to head across 1.5k, 3k, and 5k distances.
Following her double gold success in the 19+ years age group at the ASA SouthWest and Dorset County ASA Open Water Championships in June, Poole’s Emily Clarke added silver to her open water medal collection by finishing second in the Girls 19+ years 5k event with a time of 1:06.55, while Swim Bournemouth’s Alexandra Palotai-Avella’s first national open water competition resulted in a bronze medal for a time of 20.43 in the Girls 12 yrs 1.5k event.
Dorset’s qualifiers were: East Dorset Open Water – Clare Jevons, Dave Pratten; Poole – Emily Clarke, Jessica Kelleway, Maralyn Lewis, Thea O’Keefe, Liam Openshaw, Ben Porter; Swim Bournemouth – Savannah Barman, Toby Kitchener, Alexandra Palotai-Avella; Seagulls – Miles Ward; Tornadoes of South Dorset – Eve Hewett; West Dorset – Amie Buttle.