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Slovenian open-water swimming champion Rok Kerin showed his class when he won the Bell Buoy Challenge in cold and choppy conditions at the Nelson Mandela Bay Splash Festival in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.

Kerin (27) – who grabbed victory in the 3km event at the aQuelle Midmar Mile in February – used his strong navigational skills in an eight-kilometre race of attrition that saw him claim the R10 000 first prize with ease in 1:38:34.

Top Durban lifesaver Luke Nisbet (25) completed the swim from Hobie Beach in 1:47:26 to finish runner-up for the second year in a row. PE’s Michael Marais (18) rounded out the podium in 1:57:48.

“The conditions were great for a race such as this,” said a clearly untroubled Kerin, rated as one of the top swimmers in the world over 10 kilometres. “I like waves – that’s the whole point of open-water swimming.”

The icy waters and one-metre swells defeated his closest rivals – Capetonian Danie Marais (18) and Johannesburg-based former national three-kilometre champion Abdul Malick Railoun (18).

“This is by far the toughest open-water race in the country,” said race official and former Swimming SA open-water head Neville Smith.

Slovenia swimming champion, Rok Kerin, has confirmed his participation in the 2011 Bell Buoy Challenge. Among Kerin's achievents is a FINA Grand Prix victory in a 19km race in Serbia and he is currently ranked 8th in the World FINA Grand Prix.

9 times FINA World Cup champion, Petar Stoychev, overcame a poor start to claim line honours in the Bell Buoy Challenge on Sunday morning. Stoychev missed the first turning buoy and had to return, falling about 750m behind the leaders. At the half-way point he had already recovered to 2nd place and soon took the lead on the return leg. Mel Gorman from Australia won the ladies race, placing 4th overall.

The best field of international swimmers ever to swim in Nelson Mandela Bay will line up on Sunday morning for the inaugral Nelson Mandela Bay Bell Buoy Challenge.

World Champion Petar Stoychev from Bulgaria will start as race favourite along with Australian ladies 5km World Champion Melissa Gorman. Included in the field will be New Zealand's Brenda Russell and South African 25km champion Tyron Venter. EP's 10km champions Michael Marais and Jessica Roux are expected to challenge for the top spots.

Two of the world top swimmers, Men's 9 times FINA World Champion, Petar Stoychev (Bulgaria) - current English Channel Record Holder - and Australian ladies 5km World Champion, Melissa Gorman, will be attempting the Nelson Mandela Bay Bell Buoy Challenge.

Also in the mix will be the South African 25km Champion, Ty Venter.

Nelson Mandela Bay will not only be hosting the Nedbank South African Disabled Championships and South African Iron Man in April 2010 but now another aquatics spectacle that compliments the extremely popular Axxess DSL Ocean Racing Series will take place over the Easter Weekend.

The introduction of the 'Ocean Racing Series World Championships', the ‘Nelson Mandela Bay Bell Bouy Challenge’ and ‘King of Nelson Mandela Bay’ is sure to attract some of South Africa’s leading open water swimming competitors as they gear up for the South African National Aquatics Championships that take place in Durban from 17th April.

With interest being shown by a number of international athletes which include the likes of Brazilian ace Poliana Okimoto and Olympic and World Champion Thomas Lurz from Germany, the local public and visitors will be treated to some exciting racing.

“Plans are afoot to invite an “All Stars” team of at least three male and three female athletes based on their performances at the 5km & 10km Midmar Mile International Festival which takes place on the 15th and 16th February” former South African open water supremo, Neville Smith commented on Saturday.

“The massive strides that Mike Zoetmulder and Zports have made in promoting the discipline of open water swimming in the Eastern Cape over the past few years has been tremendous and as such it is imperative that events such as these events be included in the athlete development pathway as we strive to broaden our athlete base in our quest for glory at the 2012 Olympics and beyond” Smith concluded.

Smith who officiated at the inaugural 10km Marathon Swimming event Beijing Olympics and has mentored most of South Africa’s current crop of open water athletes as either Team South Africa coach and or manager will be the head referee at the events.

Also see www.kingofthebay.co.za.