History Repeats Itself As Kyle Lee Wins Australian 10km Title; World Champion Moesha Johnson Defends Women’s Crown
As far as history repeating itself goes it doesn’t get much better and much closer than today’s Australian 10km men’s Open Water Championship at Bunbury’s Koombana Bay in WA.
After a gruelling battle-royal, local Western Australian hero and 2024 Olympian Kyle Lee (North Coast, WA) staged another stroke-for-stroke shoot out with Queensland’s Thomas Raymond (Noosa, QLD), in what could well be an instant replay 12 months on.
Lee winning the sprint again as he did with Raymond in Busselton in 2025, with his Paris teammate, open water debutant and former 400m freestyle world champion Sam Short (Rackley, QLD) snatching bronze in another touch-and-go finish for third – certainly The making his presence felt.
Turn the clock back 12 months to the waters of Bunbury in WA and it was Lee and Raymond who went hammer-and-tongs, Lee, the absolute master of the fingernail finish, out-touching his Queensland rival by five-one-hundredths (0.05).
Only differences today ? The Location (50km down the coast) their cap colours and the third placegetters – Short replacing five-time champion and another Paris Olympian in Nick Sloman, forced out of the race at the 11th hour with a sinus infection.
In the women’s event it was defending champion Moesha Johnson (Miami, QLD) living up to her reputation as one of the world’s best, the two-time 2025 World Champion taking the title from an ever-present and improving Tayla Martin (Carlile, NSW) with open water newcomer and emerging pool star Tiana Kritzinger (Rackley, QLD) a solid third.
More to come…
