MORE than 400 people took to the River Liffey in Dublin on Saturday for the 104th Liffey Swim.
The annual event, organised by Leinster Open Sea (LOS), was kicked off by Dublin Lord Mayor Councillor James Geoghegan.
Competitors had to complete six open sea races to qualify for the 2.2km swim, which started at the Rory O’More Bridge near the Guinness Brewery gate and finished at North Wall Quay.
The men’s race was won by Simon Murray from Guinness Swimming Club, while Aisling Callery from UCD triumphed in the women’s event.
“I’m delighted to win it today,” Mr Murray told LOS after the race.
“I didn’t think I had a chance but you win it when you least expect.”
Asked about her victory after the race, Ms Callery said she felt ‘absolutely amazing’.
“[It was] a tough race but good fun,” she added.
Swimmers during the 2.2km event, which starts at the Rory O’More Bridge near the Guinness Brewery (Image: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie)Saturday’s competitors received a replica of the Olympic medal won by Irish artist Jack B. Yeats in the Art events at the 1924 Paris Olympics.
Yeats, Ireland’s first Olympic medallist following Irish independence, took silver in the Painting category for his work Liffey Swim, which depicted the 1923 event.
A special commemorative medal was also presented to this year’s event ambassador, retired swimmer and coach Francis ‘Chalkie’ White.
Mr White competed internationally between 1968 and 1980 and coached swimmers at the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games in Seoul and Barcelona respectively.
Saturday’s event follows a separate Liffey Swim two weeks ago organised by Swim Ireland following a dispute over who should host the race.
