MARATHON SWIMMING: Kai Edwards has bolstered his international ranking by finishing 12th for Australia in the men's Marathon Swimming.
The 22-year-old Australian Dolphin pulled on a golden cap at the Olympics for the first time, taking to the Odaiba Marine Park for a shot at the medals.
Swimming with the scenic backdrop of Tokyo's cityscape, Edwards completed the 10km in 1:53:04.0.
It was only two months ago in Portugal where he qualified for these Olympics, getting a fifth-place finish to round out the 37-strong Dolphins squad for the Games.
Athletes emerging from the competition today were rosy cheeked and out of breath, after swimming for the best part of two hours in hot 29-degree water.
Edwards finished 4:30.3 behind Germany’s gold medallist Florian Wellbrock, which shows the progress Australia has made to improve in Marathon Swimming. Only renowned open-water swimmer Ky Hurst has placed higher at the Olympics in Marathon Swimming, when he finished 11th in the sport’s Olympic debut at Beijing 2008.
Back in Tokyo, Edwards has become the third Australian to compete in Marathon Swimming at the Olympics, alongside Jarrod Poort (2016) and Hurst (2008, 2012).
Speaking post-race, Edwards was proud of his performance in a tough field.
“I’m pleased with it. At the end of the day all I can do is my best. I’ve progressed in terms of world rankings,” Edwards said.
“Lot’s of things to take from it. I just wanted to put myself in the race and give myself a chance, I didn’t expect the pace to be that quick from the very start given the heat, but I did what I could to fight and kept fighting throughout the race.”
“It was nice conditions. The water was really flat, just the heat was something I haven’t really experienced before. I don’t think it affected me too much. It’s just something as an open-water swimmer you have to deal with.”
The Gold Coast local has reaffirmed his commitment to Marathon Swimming and can aim to compete at the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.
“I’m only 22, I can have a really long career in my sport. Looking forwards to 2024 and 2028 I’ll use this momentum to go forward.”
With all the swimming competition in Tokyo wrapped up, Edwards and the support staff will return to Australia.
Sarah Dyce
Image credit: Delly Carr
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