Manly Swimming Club: Olympic great and 13yo help win relay gold at national shortcourse titles
A superstar Olympian and a budding 13-year-old starlet helped Manly Swimming Club grab gold at a national swimming meet.
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An experienced Olympic great and an emerging 13-year-old star have combined to help Manly Swimming Club grab gold at a national swimming meet.
Cameron McEvoy, a medal-winning, three-time Olympian, joined forces with Lillie McPherson, 13, as well as 16-year-old Joshua Kerr and Georgina Seton, 21, to win the Mixed 4x50m freestyle relay crown at the Australian Shortcourse Swimming Championships on Thursday night.
MC Evoy, one of the best freestyle sprinters Australia has produced and who lives on the Gold Coast, has started training and competing with the Manly club. He is on the northern beaches, where his father grew up, until the end of the year.
His dad Rod, is a former champion surf lifesaver with the Queenscliff and Manly surf clubs.
Lillie has just come off a successful Australian School Swimming Championships in Brisbane where she was named “swimmer of the meet”. She took home five gold medals and broke two Australian school age records in the 50m and 100m butterfly events. Lillie also won gold in 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle events.
Back in May, Lillie and Seton took gold as part of Manly’s womens 4x100m relay team at the 2022 Australian Open Swimming Championships in Adelaide.
McEvoy, the first man to win the 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle national titles at the Australian National Championships, has won gold at the Commonwealth Games.
And he’s represented Australian at the London, Rio and Tokyo Olympics, bringing home three bronze medals.
Manly Swimming Club coach Justin Rothwell said having McEvoy around the other swimmers was having a positive impact on the club.
“He’s a great guy. He comes down says hello to the guys and he’s really happy to be part of the team and compete, to give something back to the club.
“Georgina, who was in the relay with Cam, grew up watching him and thinks he’s wonderful.”
Rothwell also had praise for Lillie’s outstanding performances at the school championships held last week.
“To win five gold medals and break two Australian records was really good and then to be named best female swimmer of the whole meet, out of every age group, was a special feat.
“She’s such a lovely girl, so humble. But when she gets behind the line, jeez she’s tenacious and strong.”