Seidler on top once again

Swimming
A total of 152 swimmers completed the Pupkewitz Jetty Mile.
Tielman Van Lill
  • 10 Months Ago
The formidable Phillip Seidler clinched his tenth title in eleven years at the annual Pupkewitz Jetty Mile in Swakopmund on Wednesday.

The Jetty Mile starts at Tiger Reef and ends at the Mole beach, 1 600 metres north of the starting point.

According to some competitors the swimming was tough up to the Jetty, with a north wind blowing from the front. Others disagreed and said the conditions were worse from the Jetty to the Mole, but still more favourable than last year.

Seidler, the current record holder in 18 minutes 33 seconds, had stiff competition from upcoming Nico Esslinger and Belgian visitor Lander Hendrickx. The trio were neck and neck up to the halfway point, with Seidler narrowly in the lead.

The 2021 Olympian accelerated from the Jetty to the finish line to conclude his race in 21 minutes 53 seconds, followed by Esslinger in 23:04 and Hendrickx in 24:33.

Molly Smalley (26:45) won the elite female race, followed by Brynne Kinnaird (29:58) while Lisa Engelhard secured the third spot in 32:08. Upcoming junior Maja Brinkmann surprised herself by clocking the fastest time of all females, beating Smalley’s time by five seconds.

Other category results:

Female under 16: 1 Maja Brinkmann (26:40), 2 Jessica Humphrey (28:08), 3 Carissa Steyn (28:13).

Male under 16: 1 Oliver Durand (25:24), 2 Liam Kinnaird (27:17), 3 Ayden Jiao (27:26).

Females 30-49 years: 1 Sonja Obholzer (33:25), 2 Ruth Hornickel (33:29), 3 Imme Hucke-Macfarlane (38:41).

Males 30-49 years: 1 Jean-Paul Wehnert (29:02), 2 Peter Brinkmann (29:46), 3 Jan Louis Mostert (30:41).

A total of 152 swimmers completed the Jetty Mile.

– tielman@republikein.com.na