Nils Young in Lake Zurich, where the Cally Masters team set a new course record in the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence Marathon earlier this month

A SUPER squad from Cally Masters conquered the waves after swapping the pool for the open water to tackle the 32nd edition of the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence Marathon.

The Islington-based club, which trains at the Cally Pool in Caledonian Road, Holloway, are no strangers to dominating in the pool. Earlier this summer they won the Middlesex County Masters Championships, with every swimmer that they entered into the competition returning home clutching a medal.

Now members from the club have proved just as commanding in the open water after two Cally crews, each consisting of three swimmers, successfully rose to the challenge of completing a 26km course around Lake Zurich in Switzerland.

The Cally team in Zurich, from left: Katie Curd, Lorenzo Caciagli, Nils Young, Alexander Kapellos, Csaba Vinkler and Luka Crnjakovic

Swimming in one-hour slots, both teams put in a series of sensational swims to finish first and third overall out of a total of 13 teams. The winning team of Lorenzo Caciagli, Katie Curd and Nils Young set a new course record as they finished the swim in five hours 49 minutes, 23 seconds.

Meanwhile the second team of Luka Crnjakovic, Alexander Kapellos and Csaba Vinkler touched home in six hours, 21 minutes and 51 seconds to take third place, finishing just five minutes behind the second-placed team from Switzerland.

Cally club member Susan Green said: “It’s a fantastic result. The swim took place on a hot and sunny day with the water temperature a balmy 24 degrees. And, of course, the scenery was fantastic and a vast improvement over the floor tiles of the lane at Cally Pool where all six swim together several times a week.”