Cayman’s infamous Seven Mile Beach served as the backdrop for elite racing as Cayman Aquatics hosted the third stop of the PanAm Aquatics Open Water Swimming Series.
Hosted on Sunday, 14 June, the event featured a total of 39 competitors including Cayman swimmers alongside an international field from across the Americas, including the United States, Mexico, Bermuda, Brazil and Ecuador.
Swimmers took on the warm Caribbean waters across various race formats including the headline 10-kilometre marathon swim, a 7.5-kilometre race, and the newly introduced 5K and 10K relay events for teams of four.
| PanAm Aquatics Open Water Swimming Series – Cayman Islands | |||
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 10K Women 18+ | Cibelle Jungblut (Brasil) – 2:02:55:11 | ||
| Women 14-15 | Kate Galatopolous (Cayman) – 02:18:30.40 | ||
| 7.5K Women 18+ | Leigh Dasonville (USA) – 02:37:18.75 | ||
| 10K Men 18+ | Lucas Davesac (Brasil) – 01:47:30.21 | Arhur Aguiar (Brasil) – 01:47:31.58 | Ramses Miranda Vidal (Mexico) – 01:54:13.20 |
| Men 16-17 | Adam Sellars (Cayman) – 02:11:25.57 | Isaiah Myles (Cayman) – 02:23:54.34 | Reuben Sweetman (Cayman) – 02:27:57.44 |
| Men 14-15 | Dominic Wright (Bermuda) – 02:13:10.33 | Skyler Carroll (USA) – 02:19:16.46 | |
| 7.5K Men 14-15 | Dario Sandoval Ortega (Ecuador) – 01:36:21.75 | Samuel Johnson (Cayman) – 02:13:03.20 | |
In the relay events, team SKON – comprising Nathaniel Rouse, Keziah Thomas, Olivia Thomas, Sebastian La Roda Thomas – swam away with the top spot in the 10K relay.
Team Palm Heights Athletics – with team members Eva Morris, Ian Smith, Tanushree Perry and Lee Hart – claimed first place in the 5K relay.
The event, held in partnership with PanAm Aquatics for the second consecutive year, is one that Cayman Aquatics described as forming part of a growing regional open water calendar that “reinforces Cayman’s reputation as an ideal destination for marathon swimming, thanks to its warm waters, safe conditions and world-class shoreline venue.”
“This event continues to grow year after year, and we were delighted to welcome athletes from across the Americas to compete alongside our local swimmers. The level of competition was outstanding, and it was fantastic to see so many Cayman athletes stepping up and producing strong performances in front of a home crowd,” said Cayman Aquatics Race Director Alicia Proud.
Proud added, “The event was supported by more than 20 volunteers, officials, safety personnel and medical staff, who ensured the race was conducted safely and efficiently. The race course consisted of multiple laps along Seven Mile Beach, providing spectators with numerous opportunities to follow the action from shore.”
Looking ahead, organisers are already shifting their focus to 2027 and beyond with Cayman Aquatics hoping to continue growing participation and international attendance, with ambitions of positioning the Cayman Islands as a premier destination for marathon open water swimming in the region and attracting even larger international fields in the future.
“Plans are already underway to explore opportunities for the event to play a greater role within the international open water calendar as athletes begin their journey toward qualification opportunities for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games,” said Cayman Aquatics.
The PanAm Aquatics website states that this continental circuit runs under the governance of PanAm Aquatics and World Aquatics to unify and develop open water swimming throughout the Americas.
The annual series features multiple stops across the continent, with men and women competing in 10-kilometre races. At each event, competitors earn points toward a continental ranking and a season-long General Classification for both categories.
With the Cayman stop in the books, the series will continue in Cuba and Mexico towards the end of the year. Full results from the Cayman stop are available through Cayman Aquatics’ website.
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