The Bay to Bay winner was Corporal Jack Catterall (Picture: MOD)<\/p>\n
The annual swimming contest for British Forces Cyprus personnel and their families has been won by one of the island’s newest arrivals.<\/p>\n
Corporal Jack Catterall landed in Cyprus only five weeks ago and quickly started training for the Bay to Bay open water swim in Episkopi.<\/p>\n
Serving as a physical training instructor at Dhekelia Garrison, the British Army’s new posting finished the 1,852-metre course in 27 minutes and 42 seconds.<\/p>\n
“I couldn’t see some of the yellow buoys because of the sun,” said Cpl Catterall.<\/p>\n
He also remarked that the one nautical mile course is quite different to the 200-metre swimming races he usually enters.<\/p>\n
“You get lost a lot compared to the pool, where you can follow a line on the bottom,” he added.<\/p>\n
The Bay to Bay open water swim is an annual event (Picture: MOD)<\/p>\n
Kirsty Collins, Ayios Nikolaos Station’s swimming pool manager, took first place for the women, finishing seventh overall.<\/p>\n
“I’ve done it a few times before,” she said.\u00a0“It [the win] was a surprise, but I’m very pleased.<\/p>\n
“I swim open water all year round\u00a0\u2013\u00a0the weather was perfect and the temperature here in Cyprus is excellent.”<\/p>\n
RAF Akrotiri won the team contest, beating other stations and units.<\/p>\n
Two finishers of the women’s open water swim (Picture: MOD)<\/p>\n
The annual swimming contest starts at Lemmings beach, following a course across two bays and finishing at the military training wing at Tunnel beach.<\/p>\n
Surprisingly to organisers, every single one of the 192 swimmers who entered the water completed the race.<\/p>\n
“There’s normally about six or seven who don’t make it in the allocated timeframe of 90 minutes,” said\u00a0Warrant Officer Class 2 Phil Edwards from the organising team.<\/p>\n
Swimmers warming up for the race (Picture: MOD)<\/p>\n
Notable entrants included Commander of British Forces Cyprus, Major General Tom Bewick.<\/p>\n
“It’s the first time I’ve done this for nearly 30 years\u00a0\u2013\u00a0it’s great to see so many people here,” he said, while thanking the organisers and swimmers.<\/p>\n
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