A swimmer is pictured at the 2023 Yangtze River Delta Open Water Swimming Championships, which opened in Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, on June 17. [Photo/hz66.com]

Nearly 1,000 swimmers made a splash at the 2023 Yangtze River Delta Open Water Swimming Championships, which kicked off in Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, on June 17.

Swimmers from across China, including professional and amateur swimmers from the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui, as well as the municipality of Shanghai, participated in the event, which featured a 10-km race, a 3-km race, and an 800-m race.

The highlight of the competition was the 10-km swim, which took place in the southern part of Taihu Lake, China's third-largest freshwater lake.

Unlike indoor pool competitions, open-water events have no turning points, and swimmers cannot touch the bottom. Environmental factors like water flow and wind speed can also impact the players' performance. Nevertheless, many swimmers prefer the natural competition environment.

Sun Yu from the Tongxiang Swimming Association and Liu Chunyou from the Jiading Swimming Association were the winners of Group A and Group B in the men's 10-km, clocking at 02:08:17 and 02:35:40, respectively.

The event was held to welcome the upcoming 19th Asian Games. As one of the co-host cities, Huzhou will host the Games' volleyball and 3-on-3 basketball competitions.

Swimmers compete in the 2023 Yangtze River Delta Open Water Swimming Championships, which opened in Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province on June 17. [Photo/hz66.com]