Queensland-based New Zealander Cara Baker gained the plaudits of national coach Philip Rush after taking out the New Zealand open water championships in Taupo today.
The former Manawatu swimmer took advantage of the late withdrawal of North Shore's Alannah Jury, who was hospitalised yesterday with a stomach virus, swimming powerfully in cold and choppy conditions to take out the 10km title in two hours 09 minutes 53 seconds.
Fellow Gold Coast swimmer George O'Brien claimed the men's title after a tight battle with Casey Glover (Wellington), Aucklander Philip Ryan and Rotorua's Kane Radford.
Baker, who swims for famed Australian distance coach Denis Cotterell on the Gold Coast, said she will continue to training for the 800m in the pool as well as open water.
She plans to return for the New Zealand Commonwealth Games trials and is buoyed by her win today.
"It was great. I did not know how I would go as I am still training for the 800m. I went out there and hung on to that boys' pack as long as I could. The last lap was so hard though when I dropped off." Baker finished sixth overall and 11 minutes clear of second-placed Georgia Hind (Capital) with Queensland's Caitlin Zillman third.
National open water coach Phillip Rush said he was pleased with the performances today.
"Cara's performance was the eye-opener today. She swam so strongly and really dominated. We need to develop the open water group and send teams away, not just individuals.
"So it's fantastic to develop depth in the women's group with Alannah Jury and now Cara.
"It was disappointing that Alannah was ill. She definitely made the right decision not to swim but she will bounce back quickly.
"The conditions were difficult. The guys handled it quite well. The worlds are in a lake like this that could chop up so it was good experience. It showed the Aussies are a bit ahead of us and we need to work hard to match them."
Freshening southerly winds to 15 knots chopped up conditions on Lake Taupo for the four-lap 10km championship, with Baker in a group of seven male swimmers at the front of the field for the first two laps.
Gradually swimmers dropped off, leaving O'Brien, Glover, Ryan and Radford together over the final lap, with the Australian making his move 500m from the finish.
"I did not want to leave it to a sprint so I went for it," O'Brien said. "It was so cold out there. I've never swim in conditions that cold.
"I managed to get the gap and hold on for the win. It's great to come over here and to beat the Kiwis.
"The win gives me confidence that my training is on track for the Australian championship and hopefully if I can perform well there I can qualify for some national teams this year."
Glover, the record holder for the Cook Strait swim, managed the conditions well to become the leading New Zealander, finishing 32 seconds behind the winner.
"It was a side chop and it was a matter of swimming to the conditions. I kept to my race plan," Glover said. "I wanted to stay close to the lead for three laps and give it everything I had on that last lap. It seemed to work well.
"The aim now is to swim well in the Australian championship which is the selection race for us for the worlds this year."
Ryan, who won both the 5km and 10km titles in Wellington last year, finished third ahead of Radford, who led for the first two laps.
Radford has recently returned from a year competing in the open water team at Mission Viejo in California, and currently swimming at the Millennium Institute.
The New Zealand open water 5km swim national championships are tomorrow.
