Gympie's bronzed swimmers

AN increased training regime has paid off for Saint Patrick's high school swimmer Scott Gear after he returned home with an individual bronze medal.

Picture: Craig Warhurst

AN increased training regime has paid off for Saint Patrick's high school swimmer Scott Gear after he returned home with an individual bronze medal from the State Secondary School swimming carnival.

Another Saint Patrick's swimmer Katie Connolly also won bronze at the championships in the 200 metre freestyle relay.

The two swimmers are part of the ever improving Gympie Gold Fins swimming squad coached by Elisabeth Manthey.

Manthey said Gear, who won his medal in the 50 metre backstroke, had been increasing his training at the Gympie Memorial Pool.

“He is starting to improve with every swim,” she said.

But unluckily for Gear, a long swimming program at the event left him feeling tired for his backstroke final.

Consequently, Gear didn't swim a personal best time.

If he had swum his best time, he would have taken the silver.

Gear made six finals in Brisbane's Chandler pool and has broken 15 club records so far this season, including those of Commonwealth games medallist Josh Krogh.

Connolly's bronze medal capped off a successful season for the 15- year-old.

At the last club night swim meet, the swimmer broke the 26-year-old 1500m record of Tracey Lewis by over two minutes and swam in three finals at Chandler.

“It was really good to win a medal,” she said.

“It was exciting, unexpected.

“It was the first medal I have ever won at a State title.”

Other Gympie swimmers to perform well as part of the Wide Bay side at the event were Tessa Handy, Ellen Wheeler, Jarod Healey and Drew Timbs.

Timbs and team mate David Lee are still training hard in the Memorial Pool preparing their bodies to take on Australia's best at the Australian titles.

The pair was the only two Gympie swimmers to qualify for the event and Manthey is fine tuning their strokes and getting them race ready.

Originally published as Gympie's bronzed swimmers