Nova listener to join Susie O’Neill in Masters competition in Japan

How a Brisbane schoolteacher – who also happens to be a pretty handy swimmer – will help Susie O’Neill celebrate a milestone birthday in an overseas swimming competition.

Nova’s Ashley Bradnam, David ‘Luttsy’ Lutteral and Susie O’Neill have selected a lucky listener to join their relay team for an international swimming meet later this year.

Brisbane teacher Kylie Fletcher, the Acting Dean of Student Learning and Data at All Hallows, emerged as the winner from a flood of entries to swim alongside the former Olympian and her colleagues at the 2023 Aquatic Masters in Japan in August.

David Lutteral, Susie O'Neill and Ash Bradnam with Kylie Fletcher. Picture: NOVA106.9

The idea for the relay competition came about as an unconventional celebration for O’Neill’s 50th birthday, which will coincide perfectly with the swim.

During a playful on-air discussion about how best to celebrate the special day, Bradnam and Lutteral suggested rekindling O’Neill’s competitive swimming past with a twist, by joining her in the pool themselves.

They declared the fourth spot would go to a listener.

Time trials were held at Brisbane’s Centenary Pool, with 52-year-old Fletcher emerging victorious, clocking up 29.48 seconds for the 50m race.

“I’ve been to the last two masters World Championships, in Guangzhou and Budapest. And so yes, I was already entered to go to this year’s one,” she revealed.

Her gruelling regimen involves swimming five days a week in the 5.15am squad at Stuartholme.
She also shares other connections with O’Neill, whose daughter went to All Hallows. “And my partner actually was her training partner back in the year 2000 Olympics time, so I have known her for a while. I think it’s just fabulous to say that you’re in a relay with Susie O’Neill. So couldn’t be any better.”

She said she was optimistic about the team’s performance.

“I think it’ll be a really fun, different experience swimming in a relay with Ash, Susie and Luttsy. I’m sure they’ll put the best effort in that they can. It’ll be good,” she said.

The next challenge for the team is a Masters meet at Chandler where they’ll participate in official time trials before heading to Japan in August.

Originally published as Nova listener to join Susie O’Neill in Masters competition in Japan