Campbell sisters leading NSW Swimming’s Northern Metro hub

Cate and Bronte Campbell are settling in well to their new home at Knox Aquatic Centre as they spearhead the resurgence of NSW swimming.

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NSW Swimming’s new high-performance Northern Metro hub is in full swing with two of Australia’s most successful swimmers, Cate and Bronte Campbell, settling in well to their new home at Knox Aquatic Centre.

The Olympic gold medal-winning sisters moved from Brisbane to the upper north shore at the start of this year to help spearhead the resurgence of elite swimming in NSW.

A partnership between the NSW Institute of Sport, Swimming NSW, Swimming Australia, Pymble Ladies College and Knox Grammar School, the Northern Metro hub was established to help develop local pathways and increase the number of elite swimmers across the state.

Cate and Bronte Campbell with their longtime swim coach Simon Cusack.

Joining the Campbells are the girls’ longtime coach Simon Cusack, who will guide the development of the hub.

Cusack is one of the country’s most experienced and well-respected coaches and has twice been named Australian Swimming Coach of the Year.

With just two NSW athletes in Australia’s team for last year’s Pan Pacs, Cusack said the aim for the hub is to increase the state’s progression rates of young talent into elite programs.

Cate and Bronte have moved to Sydney in an effort to spearhead the resurgence of elite swimming in NSW. Picture: Phil Hillyard

“The project has been designed to stem the flow of local NSW talent north of the border,” he said.

“NSW has a lot of swimmers in the water but there’s very few elite pathways for them here. “In Brisbane in particular, there’s at least five or six high performance centres.

“Having this elite performance hub in Sydney allows local kids to not have to go out of the state in pursuit of their full potential.”

The sisters are among Australia’s most successful swimmers. Picture: Darren England

Cusack also paid tribute to the facilities at Knox and said students were already making use of the Campbell’s expertise.

“The facilities are absolutely world class,” he said.

“The girls are really enjoying the change of environment as well. Watching them train, the younger ones get a chance to see what it takes to be truly elite in this sport.

“It’s a hell of a lot of effort — much more than just what they’re doing in the water.”