State NZ Ocean Swim Series: $32,000 cash on the line

$32,000 in cash goes on the line this weekend as Australasia’s best open water swimmers line up to conclude the region’s premier Ocean Swim series.

The 2.8km State King of the Bays on Auckland’s North Shore, is the sixth and final round of the State New Zealand Ocean Swim Series, and will feature all of the stars of the series to date, with the exception of current Australian 10km open water champion Jarrod Poort, who is injured after breaking two bones in his wrist in a skateboarding accident.

“This is the climax to what’s been the most fascinating elite series we’ve had,” said event director Scott Rice.

“The quality of swimming in both the mens and womens series has been top notch this season, and we’ve been delighted to attract more quality Australians over to New Zealand than ever before,” he said.

Leading the series going into the race is 2012 King of the Bays winner and New Zealand’s number one open water swimmer Kane Radford.

But he can’t rest easy due to the quality of the field and the way the series is structured.  100 points are awarded to each race winner, but points count from just three of the six races, and with double points on offer in the King of the Bays, the final standings are set to markedly different to what they currently are.

Despite only being 6th in the series, Australia’s Rhys Mainstone is arguably in the strongest position heading into the finale, having already won the State La Grande Classic in Akaroa and the State Sand To Surf in Mt Maunganui.

He will claim the title with the maximum 400 points if he wins on Saturday.

“It’s good going into the final race of the series in the position I am in.  But obviously the competition is hot and with a few of the pool swimmers returning as well, they will all put up a good fight so it’s going to be anyone’s race,” he said.

Both the mens and womens series winners will claim $10,000 each.

“I’m going to give it all I can in this last race because of the big prize purse, which means a lot for a swimmer like me,” Mainstone said.

Others in with a big chance are Radford, Queenslander George O’Brien, who won the State Capital Classic in Wellington in January, and pool specialists and 2012 New Zealand Olympians Dylan Dunlop-Barrett and Steven Kent, who’ll both be fresh from competing in the New Zealand national pool championships on this week.
Both are also former champions of this race, with Dunlop-Barrett winning in 2011 and Kent in 2010. 

The womens series is also nicely set up for an exciting finish.  Auckland teenager Paige Schendelaar-Kemp is the series leader, but the overwhelming favourite to claim her third straight series is 28-year-old Queenslander Melissa Gorman.

The 2009 5km open water world champion and two-time Commonwealth Games medalist has been in dominant form despite only recently returning from shoulder surgery.  She won both races in Akaroa and Mt Maunganui.

“I’m excited to be heading into the final race with two wins under my belt so that takes the pressure off a little bit, but it’s definitely going to be a tough race with everyone wanting to win that prize money.”

Gorman’s main challengers are expected to be Taranaki’s Charlotte Webby and Wellington’s Emma Robinson, who won the State Harbour Crossing and State Capital Classic respectively, and another Australian Jessica Walker, who will represent her country at the Pan Pacific Championships on the Gold Coast in August.

In all 1500 swimmers will compete in this year’s State King of the Bays in what is the 11th year of the event.  The main 2.8km race starts at Milford Beach at 9:30am finishing at Takapuna Beach.

2013/2014 Series Standings (After five rounds):

Men:
1. Kane Radford (Rotorua)   298.33
2. Nathan Capp (Tauranga)   298.15
3. Phillip Ryan (Auckland)   296.48
4. Troy Balvert (Waikato)   288.29
5. Ben Ruback (Masterton)   279.14
6. Rhys Mainstone (Western Australia)  200.00
7. Jarrod Poort (New South Wales) *  199.81
8. Dylan Dunlop-Barrett (New Plymouth) 199.60
9. George O’Brien (Queensland)   199.57
10. Michael Sheil (Queensland)   193.36

Women:
1. Paige Schendelaar-Kemp (Auckland)  289.87
2. Grace Sommerville (Ashburton) *  284.92
3. Melissa Gorman (Queensland)   200.00
4. Charlotte Webby (New Plymouth)  197.72
5. Emma Robinson (Wellington)   196.71
6. Jessica Walker (Queensland)   196.35
7. Courtney Carson (Hutt Valley)   196.17
8. Liana Smith (Counties-Manukau) *  189.84
9. Leah Cutting (South Australia)   188.32

* NOT SWIMMING THIS ROUND