Tegen Stewart is the toast of Nelson Swimming. The 16-year-old Nelson College for Girls student produced a stunning swim at the New Zealand Open Water Swimming Championships in Taupō earlier this month, winning the women’s 15-17 years race by over six minutes.
A cornerstone of the national swimming calendar, athletes were treated to spectacular, albeit choppy, conditions across the two-day event at Lake Taupō.
Spectators witnessed multiple close finishes throughout, which made Tegen’s win even more impressive.
Representing the Nelson South Swimming Club, Tegen completed the daunting 7.5-kilometre course in 1:40.01, with a tactical decision at the start of the race a key factor in her victory.
“The first 100 to 200 metres was insane; everyone was just on top of each other trying to get ahead. So I decided to hold back a bit, and then by the second and third lap I started passing everyone.”
Despite her margin of victory, the race wasn’t without drama. “About halfway through my arms and shoulders just went numb, which was tough. I just had to keep going, and I told myself that even if I wind up last, I’ve just done seven and a half kilometres, so that’s a win in itself.”
The fact that Tegen and her coach Glen Findlay only decided she was going to compete at the start of December made her performance over the weekend even more remarkable.
“Tegen is a distance swimmer in the pool”, says coach Glen. “But she’d never competed in an open water swimming event, so I suggested she add that as a variation to her training. Her first race in the local Nelson sea swim calendar, she really struggled and ended up 8th. The next week, she went back and won, and from there she has really started to get a feel for it.”
So much so that her victory has put her in contention for selection to the world junior open water championships in Argentina in September. Qualification is based on her result in Taupō, and then besting a qualifying time over 1500 metres in the pool in May.
“The qualifying time for the 1500 metres is 18.11, and my best is 18.20. So I have five months to give it my best shot.”
