Ronald Cowen yesterday won the Trunk Island Swim in a new record time.

The 20-year-old completed the open-water course from Trunk Island to the Palmetto Dock, an estimated distance of just under one and a quarter miles, in 16 minutes, 47 seconds.

His time bettered Trevor Ferguson's record in the long-established annual race by nine seconds and gave Cowen a winning margin of 1:20 over his closest rival, Mike Cash, who won the men's 30-39 age group.

Cowen recently competed for Bermuda in the World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.

Cash (18:07) made it to the dock just three seconds ahead of third-placed Michael O'Connor, who won the men's 15-19 age group.

And 14-year-old Stephen Kenny was just four seconds further back in fourth, as he set a new age group record of 18:14 in winning the boys' 13-14 title.

In all, seven new age group bests were established in what turned out to be a record-breaking race.

One of those was set by the first female to finish, 25-year-old Belinda Jane Castree. She clocked 18:43 to finish comfortably clear of second-placed woman Caroline Black, whose time of 19:50 also broke the previous record of 20:12 for the women's 20-29 age group.

Other record breaking age group winners were Eleanor Gardner (24:26) in the girls' 9-10, Annette Budge (20:37) in the women's 30-39, Nicholas Thomson (24:17) in the boys' 9-10, and 50-year-old Duncan Newby, who produced an amazing performance to clock 21:28 and improve on the past men's 50 and over record by more than six and a half minutes.