One of the most uniquely beautiful awards in the open water swimming world were created by legendary Japanese kayaker Masaaki Sugimoto of Outdoor Sports Square who serves as one of the organizers of the Tokushima Kaiyo Open Water Swim in Shikoku, Japan.

Sugimoto artfully carved the prized Ise-ebi, one of the many local seafood delicacies around Tokushima on Shikoku Island in Japan. The overall men’s and women’s winners of the 2.1 km and 3.7 km races are presented with these wonderful awards – along with several other local seafood specialities of the area.

With the surf pounding the many offshore islands and beautiful reefs of the Takegashima Marine Park, World Aquatics open water swimming official Tamako Kihara did a wonderful job designing the beautiful race courses that were enjoyed by the field who were also treated to a meal of udon noodles between the two races.

For more information, visit the race website here and its Facebook page here.

© 2025 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

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