New Zealand’s Kane Radford is training in Australia now, but he came how to win the opening leg of the State New Zealand Ocean Swim Series. The young man from Rotorua claimed the 2.9 km State Harbour Crossing with London Olympian Dylan Dunlop Barrett pushing him for the entire traverse across the Waitemata Harbour today.
Radford and Dunlop-Barrett tangled up with each other several times during the race across the calm and flat expanse from Bayswater to the Viaduct Harbour. But the top two had other rivals in the lead pack with Australians Jarrod Poort and Wally Eggleton also in the mix, along with Auckland’s Nathan Capp and Phillip Ryan.
But Radford edged out the others in the onshore finish to win by 3 seconds over Dunlop-Barrett with Poort third 2 seconds back.
“Those boys really pushed me hard out there, so I give them credit, as it’s something they don’t normally do.”
Radford’s now won the State Harbour Crossing 5 times out of 6 races, putting him a leg up on his rivals. “It’s not an easy series this one. You can’t just rock on up and win it.”
2013 State New Zealand Ocean Swim Series Men’s Results:
1. Kane Radford (Rotorua) 33:59
2. Dylan Dunlop-Barrett (Auckland) 34:02
3. Jarrod Poort (Warilla, NSW) 34:04
4. Nathan Capp (Auckland) 34:07
5. Wally Eggleton (Queensland) 34:30
6. Phillip Ryan (Auckland) 34:38
7. Troy Balvert (Cambridge) 36:17
8. Kaiori McGuinniety (Nelson) 36:17
Copyright © 2013 by World Open Water Swimming Association