Brilliant young swimmer Gabriella Peiniger bursts into Olympics contention
She’s a 17-year-old Year 12 student from Hampton who only started training properly for the butterfly event six months ago. Now Gabriella Peiniger has her sights set on the 100m, 200m, and 200m individual medley at this year’s Olympic Games.
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Gabriella Peiniger screamed.
When she did, even the great swimming coach Laurie Lawrence was startled.
The 17-year-old Hampton girl was away with Australia’s best butterfly swimmers on the Gold Coast and taking in an “inspiring’’ talk from the legendary Lawrence when she received a text message.
It alerted her to news she had just been named the Young Athlete of the Year at the 2019 Victorian Sports Awards.
“I was so excited I screamed,’’ the bubbly Peiniger said.
“I was very surprised. I honestly didn’t think I would have a chance and I was so, so grateful they picked me.’’
It was another honour for the brilliant youngster, who has risen to the elite ranks of swimming so quickly that she’ll attend the Olympic trials in Adelaide later in June, competing in the 100m and 200m butterfly and the 200m individual medley.
She likes the IM because she likes all the strokes.
And she’s good at it: last October at the Australian Short Course Championships in Melbourne she had a 200m IM time that was the third-fastest recorded by an Australian woman, behind Emily Seebohm and Alicia Coutts.
Two months earlier she competed at the world junior championships in Budapest.
She was ninth in the 200m IM, 13th in the 100m butterfly and 15th in the 50m butterfly.
Peiniger said it was a great experience.
“I peaked the week before in my taper, which is a little bit annoying,’’ she said.
“I was swimming a lot better the week before. But I still did better than I was expecting.’’
Her improvement in the butterfly has been sharp.
“I only started training fly properly, other than when I was doing IM, about a month before nationals,’’ she said.
“My shoulder was playing up a little bit while I was doing backstroke so I started putting more into fly. I’d always done it but it was never a main event. So we started competitively racing and training for fly.’’
The Gold Coast camp last week brought together the top four male and female butterfly swimmers in the 100m and 200m.
“It was exciting, fun,’’ she said. “I learned a lot about myself in comparison to the rest of the competition.’’
Peiniger has been swimming competitively since was nine, at the Melbourne Vicentre club.
“I’ve always loved the water,’’ she said. “When I was little I was always wanting to go swimming or going to the pool and having fun with my friends.
“I find it a really great environment. Even though it’s an individual sport, you meet people and make a lot of friends, which is amazing.’’
Peiniger is training nine times per week as well as doing gym sessions, a heavy load that prompted her to complete Years 12 over two years at Melbourne Girls Grammar.
It’s a gruelling sport. Behind the glamour of the medals, the dazzling performances and the sponsorships (Funkita is now behind her) is the grit of hard work that eats into her study time and social life.
“It’s very tough and very demanding,’’ she said.
“There’s not much time to relax or go to see friends. Very intense. You need a lot of commitment. But I’m really enjoying it at the moment. I’m not finding it hard. ’’
A VIS scholarship holder, Peiniger swims at MLC Aquatic under the coaching of Nick Veliades.
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What about the prospect of swimming at the Tokyo Olympics?
The chance has come earlier than she expected.
She’s risen to a top-three ranking the 100m butterfly and top-two in the 200 IM.
“Very exciting,’’ Peiniger said.
“Hope it goes to plan, but I guess what will be, will be at that meet. It’s a bit daunting because I never thought it would come this early, especially in Year 12. But I’ve got all my friends at school behind me and I’m actually excited to swim and training hard for it.’’
Imagine the scream if she gets through.