Jamaica’s rising sensations Zaneta Alvaranga and Zachary Randle finished tops in the daunting 3K swim at the inaugural Jamaica Inn Foundation Open Water Swim meet at White River Beach in Ocho Rios yesterday.

The charity event, dubbed ‘Swim for the Sanctuary’, was aimed at raising funds to support the White River Fish Sanctuary in continuing its work to protect, restore, and engage the marine environment.

Still, Alvaranga and Randle brought their best and were not to be denied in their respective categories at the event which attracted over 80 of the islands top aquatic enthusiasts of all ages.

Alvaranga was the overall female as well as the top 15-19 swimmer, finishing the 3K distance in 52 minutes and 47 seconds.

Her Kaizen Swim Club teammates of Asha Davis (56 minutes and 26 seconds) and Aija-Marie Adams (58 minutes and 23 seconds) were second and third, respectively.

The 16-year-old Alvaranga, known mostly got her sprinting prowess, expressed delight at the performance.

“It was hard but not as hard as I was expecting, the waves were a little bit of challenge but I adapted after awhile and it feels great to come out on top,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

“I caught a few people that went ahead of us, the boys went ahead and I was able to pass them which speaks volumes of my improvements over time because I have done open water before and I was always way in the back. So the fact that I was able to overtake a few people is really good for me and it shows that I have gotten better,” added Alvaranga, who also swam under the banner of event sponsors Caribbean Producers Jamaica (CPJ) Limited.

She believes contesting more Open Water events will help in improving her endurance and by extension performances in the pool.

“This was very significant in my preparations for upcoming events because along with aerobic work in the pool, it helps with my regular swimming and it adds to my fitness. I actually think I gained some strength today (yesterday) as well based on how things were with the waves,” Alvaranga noted.

“I am hoping to do this more often because we are not only swimming for a good cause but it also helps with my endurance in the pool. And it’s funny because I actually have a fear of the ocean, but being out there kind of calmed my nerves a bit,” she explained.

Like Alvaranga, Randle, 17, was the top overall male performer, as well as in the 15-19 age group. However, the Y-Speedos Swim Club representative completed the journey with much ease, clocking 44 minutes and 22 seconds.

Thomas Issa (45 minutes and 55 seconds) of Spanish Court was second with Kaizen’s Samuel-John Hines (46 minutes and 11 seconds) in third.

“It was pretty easy, the water was pretty calm for me this is my first time here, I swam at the James Bond Beach before and that was a lot harder for me because of the waves.

“But the fact that we did some very long swims in training leading up to this event boosted my confidence and made it easy. So I’m happy with my performance and I am looking froward to competing in more events like this,” Randle said.

Meanwhile, Leanna Wainwright representing the newly formed Westfit outfit was top girl in the 2K swim, finishing in 31 minutes and five seconds.

The Y-Speedos Swim Club pair of Giani Francis (33 minutes flat) and Christanya Shirley (33 minutes and 33 seconds) were second and third respectively.

Israel Allen (29 minutes and 32 seconds) of Tornadoes Swim Club topped the male 2K event followed by Westfit’s Benjamin Davis (31 minutes and 21 seconds) and Nathaniel Thomas (31 minutes and 23 seconds), also of Tornadoes.

In the 1K swim, Leah Chin of Westfit was the top female with the unattached Gabrielle Hamilton (17 minutes and 26 seconds) and Aliyah Heaven (17 minutes and 57 seconds) of Tornadoes, taking the runners up positions.

On the male side, Matthew Kennedy (15 minutes and 32 seconds) of Y-Speedos finished tops ahead of Tornadoes’ Zachary Jackson-Blaine (15 minutes and 46 seconds) and Westfit’s Talon Longmore (15 minutes and 53 seconds).

The Tornadoes Swim Club pair of Kai Lawson (9 minutes and 35 seconds) and Kia Alert (9 minutes and 46 seconds) were first and second in the female category of the 500-metre swim, while Kaizen’s Mikayla Brown (9 minutes and 55 seconds), was third.

Westfit’s Rhys Hunter (9 minutes 25 seconds) was top male performer in the 500m, finishing ahead of Tornadoes’ Joel Sinclair (9 minutes and 26 seconds) and Matthew Eaton (9 minutes and 46 seconds) also of Westfit.

Kyle Mais, Director of Jamaica Inn Foundation, welcomed the smooth flow to the event which he says exceeded expectations in terms of turnout and protocols being observed for the most parts.

The event was sanctioned by Aquatic Sports Association of Jamaica (ASAJ) and Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF).

“We couldn’t be more happy with how the support went for the event, the first of what we hope to be a more consistent swim for the sanctuary and it has certainly exceeded our expectations in not only the turnout but also from our sponsors and partners,” Mais said.

“In fact, the swimmers are already asking when the next event will be held so obviously we are very encouraged by that and the intention is to attract more international swimmers,” he ended.