Brenda Norman became the first female to claim the World Open Water Swimming Association Australian Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming on Saturday.
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The Deniliquin High School physical education teacher claimed the crown by completing the 25km Port to Pub swim in Western Australia.
Miss Norman completed the swim from Leighton Beach to Rottnest Island in 8:21:33 hours.
Just 44 minutes behind her was Sydney’s Emma Radford, who became the second female to complete the Triple Crown.
In the process, Miss Norman also became the first swimmer to complete the Australian Triple Crown in one swimming season, also completing the Derwent River swim in Tasmania in January and the Palm 2 Shelly in Sydney in February.
She did so along with her friend Richard Jones, who also finished his trio of swims on Saturday.
Only four people have completed the Australian Triple Crown, including Miss Norman, Mr Jones and Ms Radford on Saturday.
The first was Lynton Mortenson, who claimed his crown last year.
‘‘The overwhelming feeling is one of relief,’’ Miss Norman said of the achievement.
‘‘It was quite a full program to complete all three swims over a 10 week time frame. The body is battered and bruised.
‘‘Nobody had ever attempted to do this in one season but myself and my good friend Richard Jones both completed the Triple Crown to become the first people to do so.
‘‘Richard’s crew selected a different route which ended up presenting some unfavourable currents. He battled sea sickness and jelly fish, but was never in doubt of finishing his swim.
‘‘It was just nice that we were both able to finish it.
‘‘For a while we weren’t sure if we could get to all the locations due to COVID and border closures, but thankfully it all fell into place.’’
The swim route for this 25km event required both Miss Norman and Mr Jones to swim 5km along the coastline of Leighton Beach before heading towards Rottnest Island.
After suffering jelly fish stings three weeks prior during the Palm 2 Shelly Swim, Miss Norman again had to face her ‘‘big fear’’ for this swim.
‘‘I was a bit apprehensive going into this swim after I was smashed by blue bottles in Sydney. I knew I would get stung but I really did not want to get stung on my face and neck again,’’ she said.
‘‘The coastline was littered with jelly fish; and of course I was stung all over my face, neck and arms. My skin was so irritated it felt like it was burning.
‘‘Things picked up as we headed into deeper water; the jelly fish cleared and we found favourable currents.
‘‘My kayaker Lex Simons does surf-ski racing, so his knowledge saw us take the north currents to help me along the way.
‘‘There was a couple of times where I was able to ride some waves, which helped significantly.
‘‘The conditions were consistent and my feeding went well, so I was also able to find a rhythm which kept my sea sickness at bay.
‘‘The final 10 kilometres was a bit of a slog; the cross current became more significant and the jelly fish returned, but it was comforting to see land and the sea floor.’’
Miss Norman had to overcome the odds heading into the event.
Sporting an elbow inury in the week leading up to the event, she thought it was going to be a long day out on the water.
‘‘Heading into the swim I still wasn’t fully recovered physically or mentally from the swim in Sydney,’’ Miss Norman said
‘‘My right elbow had been playing up so I received treatment on it on the Wednesday before the swim.
‘‘This didn’t help unfortunately, as I went from my elbow only being sore when I was swimming to it being sore all of the time.
‘‘Luckily on the day the elbow was fine in the end, but it was still a tough hurdle to overcome.’’
While the Triple Crown is seen as an individual honour, Miss Norman said it was a team effort that got her over the line.
‘‘Marathon swimming isn’t a solo sport; it requires a team and I am grateful to everyone who has supported me,’’ she said.
‘‘There have been two people who have played a very critical role in my success — Robert ‘Butch’ Butcher and Katrina Ives.
‘‘Butch, my coach, ensured that my body could go the distance and that I was prepared for everything the ocean threw at me.
‘‘Katrina, the manager of the Deniliquin Swimming Centre, has supported the logistics of my training; she has gone above and beyond her role to provide me with access to the pool and kept the facilities, especially Lane 5, in immaculate condition.
‘‘My support crew did an amazing job on the day.
‘‘My skipper Grant Booker, and his co-captain John, ensured my safety throughout the day and Lex Simons, my kayaker, was invaluable in navigating us into favourable currents.