Swimming: Radford takes out double for fifth year

Rotorua's Kane Radford won the 10km New Zealand Open Water Championships race in Taupo at the weekend.

Kane Radford and Charlotte Webby made it a double at the weekend claiming honours in the 5km and 10km New Zealand Open Water Championships at Lake Taupo.

The pair both won titles in the 10km race on Saturday - which forms part of the Olympic qualifying stages - then followed it up with victory in the 5km race on Sunday.

It is the fifth consecutive year that Radford (Rotorua) has held both New Zealand Open Water Championship titles.

"That was the goal coming out here to try and do five in a row," Radford said. "It's something pretty special when you think about a stretch over five years, it's pretty impressive, and it's an honour to be able to come back and do it five years in a row."

Radford also took honours in the Western Australia Championships in December last year and said he was in a positive space for tasks ahead.

He now moves one step closer to qualifying for the 10km open water event at the Olympics in August, but needs to finish in the top six at the up-coming Australian open water championships being held next month.

From there he will be considered for the final selection race in Portugal where the first nine swimmers will be added to the Olympic field.

"Swimming a 10km is so much to do with your head space and where you are mentally and to have the confidence coming off two pretty strong wins as well it's definitely put me in the right space for my next event.

"I'm taking it race by race so I don't want to look too far ahead. This race is now out of the way so now I move to Australian nationals where I need to finish in that top six."

The New Zealand Championships formed part of the successful annual Epic Swim which attracted approximately 650 swimmers, including a significant number of internationals, competing in a range of open water swims from 100m for children to the Epic Epic 17.5km events.