The 31st San Ginés Swimming Crossing took place on Saturday morning, organised by the Real Nautical Club of Arrecife as part of the San Ginés festivities in the capital of Lanzarote. This event, which is the second swimming race of the season for the XII Lanzarote Open Water Swimming Cup, attracted over 200 swimmers of all ages. Jacobo Garrido and Natalia Emilia Sasu claimed victory as the overall winners of the event.
The morning began with races for younger swimmers, featuring tailored distances for different age groups around the Real Nautical Club of Arrecife. The pre-benjamin category was the first to dive into the sea, completing a distance of 100 metres.
Next, the benjamin category took on a distance of 400 metres, with Alexander Delgado (Nadamas) and Laia Inés López (Nonadamos) emerging as winners. Nicolás Conceiro (Fuertri) and Gabriel Martín (Nonadamos) secured second and third in the male category, while Ariadna Martín (Nadamas) and Sofía María Fuernica (Nonadamos) took the same positions in the female category.
The alevin category followed, swimming 800 metres. Aarón Mederos (Nonadamos) and Andrea Fraga (Nadamas) won this race, with Lois Chantada (Nadamas) and Albert Arben (Metropole) finishing second and third in the boys’ race. In the girls’ race, Nahia Escudero (Nadamas) and Chloe Vaz (Nadamas) completed the podium.
The highlight of the event was the main race, which stretched 1,200 metres from La Rocar beach to the ramp of the Real Nautical Club of Arrecife. Around 200 competitors participated, and the race attracted plenty of spectators along the Avenida Marítima. A particularly special moment occurred as swimmers passed under the arches of the Puente de las Bolas.
In the men’s category, Jacobo Garrido (Club Natació Terrassa) won with a time of 14 minutes and 4 seconds, also taking top honours in the adaptive category. Garrido is an accomplished international swimmer, having competed in the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Paralympics and secured a gold medal in the 400 metres freestyle (S9) at the 2019 World Championships in London.
David Alcolado (CN Moscardó) came second in the men’s category with a time of 14:51, while Sammy Sutcliffe finished third in 15:04. In the women’s category, Natalia Emilia Sasu (Nadamas) took first place with a time of 16 minutes and 13 seconds, followed by Lyli Gopar (16:39) and Nora Delgado (16:49), both from Nadamas.
The event concluded with a trophy and medal ceremony at the César Manrique Hall of the Real Nautical Club of Arrecife, attended by club president Julio Romero and local councillors Mario González, Roberto Herbón, and Davinia Déniz.
