OCEANMAN USA kicked off spectacularly in America in Miami, Florida last week.

Lenny Krayzelburg, a four-time Olympic gold medalist, brought the OCEANMAN series to the United States together with Dmytro Kachurovskyy, Sergiu Gherman, Casey Taker, and Matt Dunn. Their first race was held at Haulover Park in Miami, Florida. “Our mission with OCEANMAN USA is to inspire a new generation of swimmers to embrace open water. Miami represents the energy and spirit needed to build a lasting open water community. Its vibrant culture, diverse population, and strong connection to the ocean create the ideal environment to grow this movement and promote a healthy, active lifestyle for all. OCEANMAN is more than a series—it’s a global movement built on the values of perseverance, wellness, and exploration.”

Its 10 km event served as a qualification race for the OCEANMAN World Final in multiple age and ability categories, including juniors, masters, and athletes with disabilities.

Maximiliano Paccot (29, Uruguay, MSF bio here, World Aquatics bio here, shown above on left) won the 10 km race handily in 2 hours 11 minutes, a bit off his time from the 2024 World Championships in Doha where he represented his home country of Uruguay. He has competed on the professional World Cup circuit since 2017 and been a consistent winner or podium finisher at the major races throughout the state of Florida including the Alligator Lighthouse Swim and Swim Miami. He said,“My training partners come from various countries, including El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Aruba, and others. We are a global team of eight swimmers. We train in a pool to prepare for open water races. Miami has beautiful beaches, and I love the environment there.”

But finishing a second second was the ever-strong masters swimmer Ricardo Valdivia (60, USA, MSF bio here, shown above on right) who finished in 2 hours 18 minutes. Valdivia has consistently won 10 km races ranging from the Fort Myers Open Water Festival, Swim Around Lido Key, and Swim Fort De Soto in Florida to the USMS Masters National Championships in Florida, Nevada, and Tennessee over the last two decades (if not more). Originally from Palma de Mallorca, Spain, he trains and coaches as a sideline to his profession as a Foreign Exchange Trader and proud father of three children.

Other notable top swimmers included American 3-time Olympic gold medalist Brooke Bennett and two-time Mexican Olympic sprinter Patricia Kohlmann. The top woman was high school junior Chloe Teger (@chloeteger), a member of the USA Junior National Swim Team who recently committed to North Carolina State University.

10 km Overall Top 25 Results

1. Maximiliano Paccot, 2:11:47
2. Ricardo Valdivia, 2:18:43
3. Igor Piovesan, 2:31:44
4. Connor Signorin, 2:35:59
5. Chloe Teger, 2:36:43 [first woman]
6. Patrick Reyes, 2:37:11
7. Vesna Shelnutt, 2:37:16
8. Brooke Bennett, 2:37:23
9. Miguel Angel Marin, 2:39:53
10. Dannon Weisner, 2:40:00
11. Jackson Gilliland, 2:40:12
12. Sandra Frimerman, 2:40:20
13. Juan Gonzalez, 2:40:55
14. Ildiko Szekely, 2:42:00
15. Robert Montgomery, 2:42:14
16. Adrian Zeh, 2:44:49
17. Macarena Martin Mayor, 2:49:30
18. Stephanie Gibson, 2:50:28
19. Tom Lockhart, 2:50:52
20. Ryan Ericson, 2:51:12
21. Cristian Andres Rivera, 2:51:23
22. Brian Slinger, 2:51:50
23. Christina Hitchcock, 2:52:40
24. Juan Esteban Calle, 2:54:05
25. Patricia Kohlmann, 2:55:10

Henri Strauss, a local from Miami Beach, won the sprint 2 km race in 30:18 while Vesna Shelnutt preceded her 7th place in the 10 km race with a victory in the women’s 2K in 31:46.

In the 5 km Half OCEANMAN race, Luke Reid won in 1:11:15 while Maya Conrad won the women’s division in 1:17:46.

Fermin Egido, CEO of OCEANMAN said, “The U.S. has a vibrant swimming culture, and we believe OCEANMAN resonated deeply with athletes looking for new challenges and meaningful experiences in open water. This is a significant milestone for our global community. This was a great weekend – one that showed OCEANMAN is not only about competition, but also about exploring the world, building community, and connecting through open water. The passion we saw in Miami reflects a growing global movement, and we’re proud to welcome the U.S. into the OCEANMAN family.”

Paccot and Tegler each qualified to compete in the OCEANMAN World Final Championship that is the culmination of 34 international events in 26 countries and 5 continents, with a total of over 45,000 swimmers competing.

For more information, visit https://oceanmanswim.com/miami-usa/ (@oceanman_usa).

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