Swimming: Rotorua's David Boles wins Legend of the Lake

Rotorua's David Boles was the fastest man at the Donnelly Sawmillers Rotorua Legend of the Lake event at Lake Tikitapu (Blue Lake). Photo / Simon Watts

Rotorua swimmer David Boles has further confirmed his status as a star of the future by winning the Donnelly Sawmillers Rotorua Legend of the Lake.

The 17-year-old finished the 3.3km I'm Going Long race in 41m 16s to take the win in event four of the Banana Boat Ocean Swim Series. He was closely followed by Luke Mitchell, of Cambridge, in 41m 46s and Tauranga's Daniel Shanahan in 42m 12s.

The fastest woman was Dunedin's Stefannie Gillespie in 44m 4s. In second was Mia Pugh, of Greerton, in 44m 41s and in third place was Sarah Miller, of Hamilton, in 45m 9s.

The event at Tikitapu (Blue Lake) attracted about 960 swimmers, ranging in age from 7 to 82, and also included OceanKids 200m, 500m 'Give it a Go' and 1km 'Step it Up' races.

Event director Scott Rice said Boles was a "real up-and-comer".

"I was down at Taupo for the new open water champs and I saw him just get pipped by the New Zealand champion Matt Scott. For a young boy, I've kind of seen him come through during the three years we've been in Rotorua and he's certainly on the rise. He's one to watch.

Swimmers take to the water at Lake Tikitapu (Blue Lake) during the Donnelly Sawmillers Rotorua Legend of the Lake event. Photo / Simon Watts

"Stefannie [Gillespie] has been going quite well on our circuit, it was a pretty predictable win in the women's field. It was pretty wide open in the men's, David was pushed right to the finish," Rice said.

He said, overall, it was a "really good" event.

"The other distances were really well attended. We had a good number in the 500m and the 1000m. There were lots of parents, lots of grandparents watching on.

The youngest and oldest swimmers in the 3.3km 'I'm Going Long' race, Amber George (13) and Bob Goddard (82). Photo / Simon Watts

"It was good to see people who had never swum an open water event before. That's the idea of having those different distances, as the name 'Give it a Go' suggests it gives them an entry into the event where they don't go too far from the shore.

"It was all helped along by the weather of course, it was beautiful, and the stunning location. Everyone was in high spirits and a good mood, the feedback we got as people were leaving was that they had a ball."