Country Swimming Championships in Darwin attract the best young sports stars from across Australia
Almost 400 Aussie youngsters spent four days competing at the Country Swimming Championships in Darwin. We were poolside at Parap to catch all the action. See the photos here.
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Some came to win medals, some to break records and others to have fun and hang out with friends.
Regardless of their motivations, 370 young swimmers made a huge splash at the Country Swimming Championships in Darwin over the past four days.
Parap’s Olympic size pool attracted the cream of the nation’s junior swimming from 72 regional and rural clubs.
The competitors were 12 to 18 years old.
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Among the Northern Territory swimmers was 12-year-old pocket rocket Sahrah Hancock.
The Nightcliff lass excelled at the competition by achieving three personal best times.
The feat is even more impressive given she’s only been swimming at the Nightcliff club for two years.
“It’s fun, you get to hang out with your friends,” Hancock said.
Sahrah has achondroplasia, a form of short-limbed dwarfism.
She competed in the multiclass, a section of the swimming titles for swimmers with disability.
Sahrah was the youngest multiclass competitor and the only one from the NT.
She went home with two silver medals.
Sahrah’s mum, Tanya, said the titles were both impressive and inclusive.
“Swimming is really great in that regard, as it’s so inclusive – that’s just a great thing,” Ms Hancock said.
“Sahrah feels like one of the team (like) there’s nothing different about her.
“She’s short in stature, but that’s okay.”
Wangaratta Amateur Swimming Club’s 13 members and their support crew travelled some 3800km to take part in the championships.
Head coach Debbie Hogg praised the atmosphere.
“The experience has been amazing, everyone’s been really friendly,” Hogg said.
“The kids swam fast, they smashed out personal bests left, right and centre, so we’re very happy with that.”
Swimmers came from Katherine, Nightcliff, Darwin, Casuarina, Alice Springs, Bathurst, Sydney, Hunter Valley, Barossa, Adelaide, Mount Gambier, Sydney, Newcastle, Gunnedah, Canberra, Wagga Wagga, Grafton, Wollongong, Griffith, NSW Central Coast, Northern Rivers, NSW mid-north coast, Gippsland, Warrnambool, Mildura, Moe, Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat, Wangaratta, Toowoomba, Gold Coast, Dalby, Fraser Coast, Rockhampton and Cairns
Swimming NT chief executive Rob West said the event would return to Darwin next year and about 500 swimmers would attend.
“It’s been fantastic, especially for our guys because obviously they don’t have the opportunity to get that exposure to high level competition on a regular basis,” West said.
COUNTRY SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS GALLERY
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