GEORGE NEWS - George champion veteran swimmer Tanya Livingstone made her home town proud when she returned from the SA Lifesaving Masters Championships in March with no less than four SA records, 10 golds and two silvers in eight individual events and four relays. To top that off, she realised a long-standing goal when she completed the Robben Island swim on 12 April, less than two weeks after the championships.
She is a proud member, and club captain, of the George-based Fish Eagles Masters swimming club, and a member of Outeniqua Harriers running club.
In September 2022, she competed at the World Lifesaving Championship in Riccione, Italy.
She has been invited to compete for the Umhlanga team at the next world championship on the Gold Coast in Australia 2024, for which she needs sponsorship.
Tanya Livingstone in action in an open water event at the SA Lifesaving Masters Championship in March.
SA Lifesaving Masters
The SA Lifesaving Masters took palace in Gqeberha with the pool events on 29 March and the surf events on 30 March. Tanya was representing the Umhlanga ROx Surf lifesaving Club on this occasion, competing in the 45-49 age group.
In the pool lifesaving events she achieved gold medals in the 50m mannikin rescue, 100m mannikin rescue with fins, 100m mannikin tow, and 200m obstacle race. Each year she has broken her own SA records in this age group in all her events. In the 100m mannikin tow she beat her existing record by five seconds! She also participated in relays for her club, resulting in one gold medal and one silver medal.
In the surf events, she achieved gold medals in the surf swim, run-swim-run and Malibu board; a silver medal in the beach sprint; and came fourth in the surf ski event.
Her relay team won a gold in beach relay sprint, and another in taplin relay (one person swims, one Malibu boards, one surf skis).
A veritable harvest of medals.
Robben Island swim
Tanya had been waiting for favourable conditions for the swim and was notified at short notice that Wednesday 12 April was going to be good. She had a support boat with her and on the trip out to the island she kept herself warm, enjoying some of the amazing sea life en route to her start.
The water temperature was expected to be 16 degrees but when she was due to start, the temperature had dropped to 13 degrees. On advice from a seasoned cold water swimmer, she chose to wear a wetsuit and to enjoy the swim.
She was rewarded by sightings of whales, beautiful jellyfish, dolphins, the company of a seal and a somewhat scary glimpse of a shark. (She afterwards expressed slight disappointment for not finishing the swim in under two hours, ascribing this to spending too much time enjoying the wildlife!)
After finishing her swim, she was taken 700m back out to sea to swim next to another swimmer who had hyperthermia and was in difficulty, to encourage him to get to the finish - which he did.
She proudly swam with her Fish Eagles Masters cap.
Now, no doubt, for Tanya, next is to repeat the swim without the wetsuit and under two hours.
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