July’s AD MOTM is a two-time World Masters Swimming champion and a two-time Tattersalls Sportsperson of the year. He has the stretching area named after him, and he is a sought-after mentor for all open-water swimmers.
For all his success, he remains incredibly humble.
Choosing to discuss others’ results before briefly mentioning his own, we, of course, are referring to John De Mestre.
John, along with a handful of Tattersalls swimmers, recently headed to Singapore to compete in the 3km open water race.
John and the others were challenged with a difficult course that consisted of a consistent barrage of ferries, a high water temperature of 31°C, and an unforgiving current that could be mistaken for a washing machine, making this win even more special.
John led the race from start to finish, completing the first 1000 m in 14mins 24s, giving him a significant lead over the fellow competitors in his age group.
The next 1000 m, John covered in 15mins 38s, although slowing down in his splits, the gap to his nearest competitor widened.
With victory in sight, John finished the last 1000 m in 16mins 22s, giving him the gold medal for the second year in a row and finishing top in his age category by nearly 3 minutes.
This swim is a testament to the work that John (and the rest of the Tattersalls swimmers, John added) have done. It’s a reflection of months of planning, training, and finally executing.
Well done to John on his amazing swim, and of course, his nomination for our AD Sportsperson of the year.
