Marais wins King of the Bay title
Article Date: 12 April 2009
Pre-race favourite Michael Marais emerged as the eventual winner of the Tavcor Embassy VW King of the Bay elimination swim race at the MTN Nelson Mandela Bay Splash Festival at Hobie Beach in Port Elizabeth on Sunday.
The 17-year-old battled strong offshore winds and the attentions of Ironman Justin Ashworth to win the final of the five-round, knock-out event.
Each round was contested over a distance of 500m with the field whittled down from the initial 30 starters to four in the final.
Both Marais and Ashworth won two of the rounds enroute to the final. The last place on the podium went to Richard Majoor with Cuan Beetham finishing fourth.
In the women’s section, Jessica Roux dominated her rivals by winning all five rounds. In the final she was followed home by Ocean Racing Series 2km champion Rebecca Newman, Verushka Barnard and Natalie Snodgrass.
The top 30 male and female swimmers in the preceding Beachfront Lodges Mile qualified for the King/Queen of the Bay event.
Marais was never challenged in the men’s section, with Ashworth and Giovanni Falco completing the podium.
In the women’s category Roux was also too good for her rivals, outlasting Newman and Snodgrass.
Disabled swimmer Nazlee Abrahams also completed the full distance.
|
