WAIKOLOA — Anaehoomalu Bay was the hub of excitement on Saturday as the Triple Crown Swim Race Series launched with its season opener, the Anaehoomalu Splash.
Hosted by the Kona Aquatics Club, the annual series attracts hundreds of swimmers of all ages to compete in three exciting 1-mile swim races in Hawaii’s most beautiful waters along the Kona-Kohala coast. Saturday’s Anaehoomalu Splash was the first leg, with the Hapuna Rough Water swim set for June 9th and the grand finale, the Kamakahonu Swim, on July 7th.
With near-perfect conditions in Anaehoomalu Bay, the stage was set for an exhilarating race. Right from the start, the competition heated up as a flurry of arms and legs charged toward the first yellow buoy with top swimmers pushing hard to gain an early lead.
The 1-mile out-and-back course was certainly a test of endurance and speed as it was last year’s runner up, Alex Kostich, who sprinted up the sandy beach first to claim the Anaehoomalu title in a time of 21 minutes and 8 seconds. Kostich, a seasoned veteran and All-American who swam for Stanford and won a total of three gold medals at the Pan American games in 1987 and 1991, was also second at last year’s Hapuna Rough Water Swim.
Hot on his heels was 16-year old Kelan Kennedy of Kamuela in a time of 21:12, with the 2022 Triple Crown Swim Series winner, Nathaniel “X” Rose, in third place at 21:29.
On the women’s side, 14-year old Kiliheamaikalani Oka repeated her incredible performance from last year to defend her title in a stellar time of 21:41. The Kealakehe Middle School eighth-grader improved upon her time by knocking off 50-seconds from the year before.
Fellow Kona Aquatics teammate and West Hawaii Explorations Academy 7th grader, Millie Knudson, secured second place with her time of 23:15, and Kamuela’s Kali Kennedy wrapped up the women’s top three in a great time of 23:50.
At the end of the morning, the Anaehoomalu Splash certainly lived up to its reputation as it once again highlighted a vibrant swimming community on the Big Island. With two more races in the series — the Hapuna Rough Water swim on June 9th and the Kamakahonu Swim on July 7th — the excitement has begun on who will take home the Triple Crown Swim series title. Don’t miss out as there is still time to register. For more information visit their website at https://oceanswimhawaii.com/.
To read the full results from last weekend’s event, please see page 2B.
