Ian Jobling
Teenage up and coming champion swimmers, Kilian Carrel and Thomas Raymond, returned to Noosa last weekend after their trip to Israel and, according to Tom, having had an adventure which was “one of a kind.”
Three weeks ago told how the boys were raising funds to go to Israel and compete in the 10km Open Water event at the FINA Marathon Swim World Cup Series.
The Noosa community rallied and the boys left on November 4 , recovering from their jetlag by training for three days at Israel’s National Institute of Sport in Wingate.
They then flew to the race-venue at Eilat where they prepared for the race off the Eilat foreshore of the Red Sea.
In an email to Noosa Today, Kilian said: “Both Tom and I agreed this was the nicest water we’ve ever swam in – the blue skies made the water so clear and we really enjoyed the fish and many shipwrecks.
“The race was held on November 12 and there were 52 competitors. I was next to the Gregorio Paltreneri of Italy, current world champion in both the 1500m Freestyle in the pool and 10km Open Water Marathon swim.” [Paltreneri won the race in 1:46:41.80]
“I stuck to the main pack for as long as possible. The pace was so fast. The water was very salty, which made everyone more buoyant, and the race was a lot more physical.
“I learnt a lot during the race, was happy with the result, and consider it to be a huge improvement from my first international race in Paris earlier this year. Tom and I copped a few hits and jabs throughout the race.”
Kilian’s time was 1:57:48.10; and Tom finished 21st in 1:47:13.50.
Tom started the race fast, setting the pace from the outset. This can be seen when watching the full race on YouTube, as he stayed in the top three for much of the race. He said: “My Israel experience was one of a kind. Flying in over the sand dunes and then visiting the Red Sea to race in was eye-opening and to see where my swimming could possibly take me was a humbling experience.
“It was my best race to date and was truly amazing. Leading Into this race I was definitely wanting an improvement and to say I achieved that would be an understatement.”
Tom was among the leaders for many laps and is featured prominently in the coverage of the race on YouTube. The excitement of the final 6 minutes of the women’s race won by Australian Chelsea Gubecka is ‘must-see viewing’. Chelsea won by 3.8 seconds in a time of 1:56:19.80.
Next challenge for both lads is the Australian National Championships in late January. They want to qualify for the Australian team and according to their coach John ‘JR’ Rodgers, “overall it was a superb performance by both Tom and Killian and they have a future in Marathon swimming.”
Kilian and Tom both stated how grateful they were to Noosa Today and the Noosa community generally for the encouragement and financial support in their bid to gain more experience in international Open Water swimming at the highest level.
