Coten pipped in quest for six titles as Adam Sudlow wins Albany Harbour swim, Christine Murray is first woman

There’s a new name on the Albany Harbour Swim roll of honour as Adam Sudlow pipped five-time winner Max Coten and marathon racer Andrew Donaldson in a thrilling finish, which concluded at Anzac Peace Park in brilliant sunshine on Saturday. It was Sudlow’s first appearance in the annual race and he loved every minute, finishing in 45min. 07sec., just a splash and a dolphin plunge outside Coten’s record of 44:57 which he set when winning last year. The start was delayed by just over half an hour because of poor visibility, but the field of 140 eventually set off from Princess Royal Sailing Club for the 4km swim across the harbour to the foreshore. Once the fog lifted, at 8am, the swimmers were called to the start line and they splashed away towards the town site, which was not yet in view. However, once the mist cleared it was a stunning spectacle across the water with the first pink hats bobbing into view from Anzac Peace Park just over half an hour later. It soon became clear there were three swimmers ahead of the field with pre-race favourites Coten and Donaldson just trailing early leader Sudlow. The eventual champion eventually swam clear leaving his high-quality rivals to battle it out for the minor placings – Coten finishing with his trademark dolphin plunges, which everyone now expects. Sudlow, from Perth, said it was one of the best races he had swum. “The delay made it interesting – as was not quite being able to see the other side when we set off,” he said. “But it turned out beautiful – you could see the bottom all the way across. “I love these point-to-point races, they definitely beat swimming around in laps.” He promised to be back next year. Coten just edged the battle for second, pipping Donaldson to the finish line by a few metres. The runner-up, who had been looking for six wins on the trot, made shore in 45:48, while Donaldson was just behind in 46:01. Donaldson, who did not compete last year, said the Harbour Swim was one of the best races in the world – and as a record-breaking ultra-marathon swimmer, he has competed across the globe. All three on the podium had the chance to renew their rivalry in the Denmark Ocean Classic on Sunday. The first woman home was Albany’s Christine Murray, a regular competitor, who finished just ahead of swim buddy Coco Smargiassi. The pair swam together with Damien McAleese, who finished sixth in the men’s event. Murray’s time was 56:45 with Smargiassi home in 56:51. The third woman was Ceinwen Roberts in 56:56. Keiron Benson, one of Albany’s top triathletes, was ninth in 1:03.38 and happy to pip his great rival Craig Fuller, who competed the crossing in 1:03.40. The junior female winner was Olivia Price, who finished in 1:08.15, clear of second-placed Nicolette Tollec in 1:12.31 and third-placed Anna Hill in 1:17.12. In the team competition, the Dalmation Pelicans were quad winners in 1:21.18, while Pogue Life won the duos in 1:01.11. The field included 109 solo swimmers plus 17 duos and three quads.