Swim with Olympic legends

The Noosa Summer Swim Festival is back for another year and will celebrate its fourth birthday this February.
In its short existence, the event has already become Queensland’s largest ocean swim, with seven distances on offer over the two-day festival on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 February.
Lining up to swim alongside any Olympian is a thrill, but this year competitors will share their experience alongside three generations of Olympic swimmers.
Confirmed starters include ambassador Michael Klim, Olympic golden girl Libby Trickett, recent Rio Olympians Jarrod Poort and Chelsea Gubecka and a special guest, 1960 Rome Gold Medallist, John Konrads who will be on-hand to present 2017 champions with the spoils.
This summer the event also expands to a two-day program of events with the introduction of the 5km Grand Prix event on Sunday 12 February, set to attract some of Australia’s fastest open water swimmers including Poort and Gubecka as well as five-time Japanese open water champion, Yasunari Hirai.
The new event, a marathon distance swim, is a multi-lap course around the sheltered waters of Noosa Main Beach.
This is the perfect opportunity for any seasoned swimmer to push their limits beyond the typical open water distances.
The Noosa 2.0 on Saturday 11 February is the event for the masses and is the most popular event on the program.
The course takes swimmers out and back from Noosa Main Beach alongside the Noosa National Park.
For those taking on their first long course event, there is an option to start with friends and other weekend warriors in the Mates Wave.
In 2016, Olympic golden girl Libby Trickett presented 2016 Rio Olympian, Chelsea Gubecka with the silverware after knocking over a 2km swim herself.
Lining up next to past and present Olympians is part of what makes the Noosa Summer Swim so popular.
Event ambassador Michael Klim regularly takes part in the events himself and said he isn’t surprised more people flock to the event every year.
“The swims at Noosa are such a fun day for families, kids get to swim alongside their parents and even their grandparents – it’s a really positive, healthy environment,” he said.
Online entries are available for all events and to view the full program visit: www.worldseriesswims.com.au.