The last Americas Cup of the season took place in Vina del Mar at the weekend, ending a year that began all the way back in February in La Guaira, Venezuela. In an unusual occurrence, the event took place alongside the World Cup at the same venue and on the same weekend. Hosting multiple races is not entirely uncommon. Montreal hosted a WTCS event and an Americas Cup this summer, albeit on different weekends. Vina del Mar had the unique experience of hosting all the races in one go. The…

In the end, the men’s race at the Vina del Mar came down to a moment of breathtaking simplicity. For all the action that preceded it, and in complete contrast to the uncertainty and drama that surrounded the end of the women’s event, the race was put to bed by an attack from Manoel Messias that was as straightforward as it was ruthless. Messias had not enjoyed the best of starts, although it was better than his experience at the Pan American Games a week prior when an equipment mishap…

So… that did not quite go entirely as expected. As the final World Cup of the year took place in Vina del Mar, a fantastic women’s race was marred by a controversial denouement. In brisk conditions, the athletes lined up for a beach start with their final venture over the Sprint distance laying in wait. The American trio of Katie Zaferes, Gwen Jorgensen and Gina Sereno hung together on the left-hand side of the beach as the race countdown began. Wearing the numbers 1, 2 and 3, respectively, they counted…

In addition to the Asia Cup in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, the Asian Sprint Championships took place in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia. The winners of the Asian Games (and Asian Olympic distance Championships), Kenji Nener and Yuko Takahashi, were absent, meaning that new names would claim an Asian title to sign off their seasons. In both the men’s and women’s events, the fate of the gold medals would come down to the late stages of the run. Men’s race Kyotaro Yoshikawa blitzed the 750m swim alongside his compatriot Mitsuho Mochizuki, putting the…

The Australian team dominated the latest Asia Cup in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, coming away with the wins in both the men’s and women’s events. The races took place in difficult conditions, with the searing heat proving an issue for some. Although the athletes only had to tackle the Sprint distance, the heat made the challenge considerably sterner. Men’s race Lachlan Jones of Australia got out to a great start in the water. Jones clocked 7:47 for the 750m sea swim and earned a solid lead. His compatriot Chris Meegan was…