Swimming followers, parents and friends came out in droves to witness the final lap of the 53rd edition of the historic Aquellé Midmar Mile. As expected, spectators started arrived early around Midmar Dam Resort to secure prime vantage points to watch the last two races of the four-day event. There was heavy traffic going in and out the area, and entering the resort yesterday required considerable patience.
As one of the commentators put it, “the best of the best” races are the boys’ and men’s (14-30), and girls’ and women’s (14-30) events. Besides being major drawcards, the last two races are always dominated by elite athletes, and Olympic and Commonwealth games prospects, making them a must-watch for everyone. Nineteen-year-old Matthew Caldwell was the winner of the men’s elite race in 18:33; second place went to Henre Louw (23), who clocked 18:24; while third was Conner Albertyn (21), who finished in 18:44.
Caldwell said his secret to winning the race for the first time was simple. Speaking after the race, he said he decided to swim at his own pace, break away from the field and stay straight. I decided to run my own race and stayed away from everybody.
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I went hard but stayed in a straight line and did not try anything fancy or smart. “I kept my eyes on the white tent, which is the finishing area. I knew there were a couple of capable and strong guys around me, but as I said, I ran my own race and tried by all means to stick to the basics,” said Caldwell.
He added that he was happy to win after trying many times. “I am thrilled that this time around I was able to win it. It was not easy at all.
I worked hard and there was a lot of effort put into it. “I am glad that today it happened because I wanted it badly,’ said Caldwell. The women’s elite race was won by Callan Lötter in 19:51, with Stephanie Houtman second in 20:02 and Carli Antonopoulos third in 20:07.
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