In honor of #ThrowbackThursday, the Swimming World staff would like to highlight the semi-recent accomplishments of the open water events at the 2018 Oceania Championships.
Earlier this month, several oceanic countries and islands descended upon Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea for the 2018 Oceania Swimming Championships and the meet began with the men’s and women’s 5K open water swim.
The Australians arrived ready to race, topping the podium in both the men’s and women’s events. In a stunning finish, Australian teammates Ethan Owens and Lachlan Colquhoun tied for first in the men’s 5K. The two delivered matching times of 1:00:04.82 for the gold medals. New Zealand’s David Boles rounded out the top three finishers with a 1:02.13.88.
The podium on the women’s side was swept by the Australians. Phoebe Hines led the charge with a final time of 1:03.17.20, while teammates Ebony Blackstone and Phoebe Walker were second and third with times of 1:03:40.01 and 1:05:54.71 respectively.
The Oceania Championships began in 1993 to bring each of the sovereign nations located within the Oceania region together for competition. Since the first edition of the championships were held in Noumea, New Caldonia, there have been 11 other championships. Since the 2000 edition, the meet has been held every two years on the even year.
