Playford Aquatic Club’s Stephanie Scherwitzel breaks 30-year-old record of Olympian Anna McVann
A YOUNG Adelaide swimmer is celebrating breaking one of her hero’s state junior records — set three decades ago by SA Olympian Anna McVann.
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PLAYFORD Aquatic Club swimmer Stefanie Scherwitzel is celebrating breaking one of her hero’s state junior records which had stood for 30 years.
Scherwitzel finished the open 200m freestyle final at this month’s state short course championships in 1:58.79, shaving almost three seconds off her personal-best time.
It also broke the mark for 16-year-old girls set by Anna Hawker (nee McVann) in 1984 — the year she won gold in all freestyle races at the Australian titles and made four finals at the Los Angeles Olympics.
These days Hawker, 45, is a physiotherapist and head coach at Clare Swimming Club, which sometimes trains alongside Playford at Elizabeth’s Aquadome.
“She’s always been a role model and inspiration,” Scherwitzel says.
“She’s an incredible woman, lovely to talk to and is always helpful.
“To finally achieve something like she did, after so many years of hard work, is definitely an incredible feeling.”
Scherwitzel’s swimming journey, which began before she could walk, has had its ups and downs.
A Type 1 diabetic, the Hewett resident gets sick “easily”, struggles to recover from races and needs to watch what she eats.
“My body just can’t handle everything a healthy person can and it’s frustrating.”
Scherwitzel will compete at the national open short course championships at Marion next month.
Beyond that, she hopes to swim at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
“There are some days nothing goes right, you want to give up and throw it all in … but the want and drive to go to Rio and be one of the best gets you through.”
Hawker, who hung up her goggles in 1992, says it is “bizarre but exciting” to think it has taken 30 years for one of her records to be broken.
“That part of my life feels like another world sometimes so it’s nice to relive that,” Hawker says.
“It is also nice to see the record broken by someone I know.
“I hope she can go on to bigger things.”
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