Chad Ho, one of the youngest competitors in international open water swimming, became the first South African to claim the overall title of the 10km Marathon Swimming World Cup, taking home $20,000 (R137,000) in prize money.

“I finished on a high note, being the winner of the Series, but was overwhelmed by the sudden and tragic loss of my friend and fellow competitor Fran Crippen,” said Ho, who ended with 122 points accumulated points.

Ho, who hails from Durban, like his namesake pool swimmer Chad Le Clos, winner of two gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, added: “Doing the World Cup Series this year has given me the opportunity to race against the best of the best. It has also given me a better understanding of what I need to do to be the best of the best."

Ho, a member of the SA Olympic team at the 2008 Beijing Games, finished second in the first two legs, in Brazil and Argentina, early in the year, and followed that up with a fourth place in Portugal. Suffering mild Ypothermia, Ho claimed the bronze in the fourth leg in Canada in July, and ended fourth in China in September.

His only victory came in Hong Kong in October, but his margin of 27 seconds was the biggest winning margin in the series. Ho ended the series with a fifth place in Mexico and then sixth in UAE.