Nala wins gold 12 months after taking to the pool
A little known swim club has taken on the best talent in Queensland and swum away with a suite of medals and a team of future Olympic hopefuls.
Townsville
Don't miss out on the headlines from Townsville. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A little known swim club has taken on the best talent in Queensland and swum away with a suite of medals and a team of future Olympic hopefuls.
Coached by father son duo Garry and Chris Hanson, Townsville Aquajets recently travelled with five swimmers to compete at the 2020 Queensland State Short course Championships in Brisbane.
The club was only established in 2019, yet has taken swimmers from learners to athletes with the help of Head coach Garry Hanson, who’s been a performance coach for over 26 years, including international experience as head coach for the Saudi Arabian Swim Team training for the Gulf Games and European Games.
Among them was Grade 6 Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School student Nala Iosefo, 11 who won Gold in the 100m breaststroke, Silver in the 50m breaststroke and silver in the 50m butterfly.
Nala said she joined the club following a learn to swim class in 2019 and now had dreams to represent the Tokelau Islands, a small pacific nation north of Samoa.
“As I kept swimming with him I got better and better, “
“I was really nervous at first but after my first race I just want to do more.”
Garry said for Nala, it’s a dream well within her reach.
“You can have the talent but you need discipline and if Nala can stay focused I truly believe she’ll be there,” he said.
“This kid has got it.
“All of these kids are performing incredibly and just keep getting better.”
Originally published as Nala wins gold 12 months after taking to the pool