Olympian and 2012 Malibu High graduate Jordan Wilimovsky swam off with a big win in the water earlier this month.
The 24-year-old distance freestyle swimmer won the United States Open Water National 10K title for the third time in the last four years on May 4.
Wilimovsky won the men’s 10-kilometer race at Tempe Town Lake in Tempe, Ariz., in one hour, 47 minutes and 14.718 seconds
Wilimovsky told an interviewer that the race, just over six miles in distance, was fun.
“This was the first time we swam at this course, so I was trying to get used to the course lines and just tried to stay relaxed the first half the race, then build into the second half and make sure I had enough in the legs for the last thousand [meters],’’ he said.
Wilimovsky defeated 32 other open water swimmers in the competition. He finished the swim 12.995 seconds ahead of second-place finisher David Heron of Mission Viejo.
The Malibuite took a firm lead of the six-lap race toward the end of the fifth lap. He said he was able to carry out his race strategy.
“Its fun to come out and race against these guys,” Wilimovsky said.
He also won the competition in 2015 and 2017. Thanks to this month’s win, Wilimovsky is now qualified for August’s Pan Pacific Championships in Japan.
Wilimovsky was the first American to qualify for the Olympic Games in both an open water (10K) and pool event (1,500 meters) in 2016. He finished fourth in the 1,500 meters in 14:45.03 at the Olympic Games in Brazil.