East Region Open Water Championships 2025
At the weekend, a group of Hatfield swimmers made the journey to Norwich to race at the Open Water Championships. The race course is set up in the lake at Whitlingham Country Park and is used as not only the East Region Championships but also Herts County Champs and as a National open water qualifier. Races were held over multiple distances of 1k, 2k, 3k and 5k. To qualify for Nationals, swimmers must be aged 13 by December 31st and the distances raced at nationals may be longer than those at the regional event.
First to enter the cool waters of the lake were our 3k swimmers. Registration for them was at 7:45 followed by a briefing, before being marked up with their race numbers prior to a 9:40 start. The Pink Army had 3 swimmers in this distance, Tara Shah, Nicole Grizenkova and Sam Farhi. In the girls race, Tara completed the course in 13th place over all, putting her just outside the county medals in 4th. Nicole came home in 16th giving her a county placing of 6th. In the boys race, Sam crossed the finish line in 11th place overall, earning him a a fantastic county silver medal.
The next races of the day were the 1k swims. For many of the swimmers entering this race, it would be their first open water racing experience. Swimming in a wide open lake is very different from being in a pool with your own lane. Sighting the buoys and choosing your line can make a huge difference in the distance covered. A mass start and fighting through the splash and turbulence is also a unique experience. Our swimmers for the 1k were Catherine Hatherly, Jorgie Bhasvi and Yuet Yau. The girls fought hard and finished in 4th, 12th and 16th respectively. In the county placings, Jorgi was 4th, Yuet 5th, and Catherine brought home the gold!
The third distance of the day was the 2k. By this time, the weather was heating up and the lake was looking inviting. Five Hatfield swimmers were entered in this distance. For the girls it was Nieve Ives, Sascha Kobylyanskaya and Emma Sofronov. For all three, this was their open water racing debut. Sascha finished in 18th overall and 5th in the county. Emma was 11th and in the county championships she won a bronze medal. Nieve placed 4th overall and 2nd in the county. Her top 5 finish also ensured that she qualified to compete in the National Open Water Championships which will be held in Sheffield at the end of July. For the boys we had Todd Leung and Hardy Shipton. Todd raced here last year so must’ve enjoyed it to come back for more! This time he was 10th overall and 5th in the county. Hardy had a very strong race. He came home 3rd overall and claimed the county gold medal. His high finish place has also qualified him to race the 3k at the National Open Water Championship.
The final and longest race of the day was the 5k which was tackled by some of our more experienced swimmers. Tara lined up for her second race of the day, not long after finishing her 3k race. She finished 1st in the region and county for her age group and was awarded gold medals for each. Daniel Williams finish 4th in his age group and 1st in the county, not only earning himself a gold medal, but also a National qualification spot for a top 5 finish. Jessica Keogh, back from university, had a strong swim that placed her first in the county and region. Along with her gold medals, she also earned a National qualification place.
Well done to all our open water swimmers. The Pink Army had some great results on the day and more to look forward to later in July with four of our swimmers returning to the lake and competing in the National Open Water Championships! Good luck!