Minna Atherton making big splash at International Swimming League meet in London as Tokyo comes into view
She may not receive the attention as others but teenage sensation Minna Atherton is looming as one of Australia’s best Olympic prospects. One superstar, in particular, is certainly impressed.
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The world’s best all-round female swimmer, Katinka Hosszu rarely concedes defeat to anyone but she’s making an exception for Australian teenage sensation Minna Atherton.
A multiple world and Olympic champion, Hosszu lost her 100m backstroke record to Atherton last month and on Saturday night, she came within the blink of an eye of losing her 200m record to the rising Queensland star.
Atherton missed Hosszu’s 200m record (1:59.23) by just 0.02 seconds after she blew the field away at the International Swimming League meet in London, but the Hungarian’s relief was temporary because it was only a matter of time before she loses it forever.
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“She didn’t break it but I’m sure she will get that time,” Hosszu said.
“Obviously, it’s pretty cool to see a young swimmer on the one hand but on the other hand it’s hard to see your own world record going down.”
Atherton’s stunning performance was all the more remarkable because no one is supposed to be setting records at the ISL because swimmers are required to swim multiple races in each session so aren’t completely fresh.
Atherton had just finished a relay when she returned to the water for the 200m backstroke but her coach, David Lush, said she still would have broken the record if not for a tactical error.
“That world record is there, she just has to pace it correctly,” Lush said.
“Because when you go out go out a little bit too much, you burn the candle a bit too much at the end.”
Atherton’s secrets are all out in the open after her eye popping performances in 2019.
She may not receive the same attention as Australia’s other young gun Ariarne Titmus but Atherton is now looming as one of Australia’s best prospects of striking gold at Tokyo next year.
Earmarked for greatness after winning three gold medals at the 2015 junior world championships, Atherton didn’t qualify for the last Olympics after a brief dip in form but Lush said that was never a concern.
“We’ve constantly had a plan towards Tokyo so it’s always been a 2020 vision but we’ve always thought about what’s best for her and her journey,” Lush said.
“She would have been 16 years of age at the Rio Olympics but it was the same year as her Year 12 and what was the most important for the individual and her parents at that time was getting into a really good degree because she’s going to be in the sport for another 10 years.”
Awarded a scholarship by Gina Rinehart so she could return to fulltime training while at university, Atherton has started making her mark on the senior ranks this year, winning a silver medal in the 100m at the world championships in South Korea as well as a gold and a silver in relays, but the best is yet to come.
“I’ve been coaching her since she was 10 years old but we’ve never forced anything because she’s a growing individual, it’s not a linear thing, it’s something we work and take our time with,” Lush said.
“I think the biggest learning for her is that she’s meant to be in this space, she deserves to be in this space.
“Sometimes you get the result you expect, sometimes you don’t but as long as you’re learning you can learn through failure and we look at failure as an opportunity towards that goal of the Olympics.”