Luke wins gold in NZ
A group of 13 swimmers from the South Gippsland Bass Swim Club returned from New Zealand last week, after competing in the NZ Short Course Championships, which reeled in swimmers from around the world.
Juniors Luke Muir, Ben McConachy, Josh Wight, Sophie McKenzie, Riley Harris, Hannah Simmons, Trinity O’Keefe, Nicolette Wight and Jordi Vanderkolk all competed, with 14-year-old Luke Muir winning gold for 1500-metre freestyle and silver for 800-metre freestyle.
The rest of the team achieved top 10 finishes and personal bests over days of competition.
The team was supported by coach Dylan Muir, as well as senior swimmers Jarrod Muir, Alex Muir and Hayley Wight.
Luke Muir was thrilled with his medal wins and enjoyed the experience.
“I tried to compose myself, but I was just so happy with myself when I got the medals,” he said.
“It benefited me a lot, just learning how to cope in high-pressure circumstances against some fast kids.”
With the swimmers being young and constantly developing, the championships provided the perfect opportunity to test their ability on a world stage.
Coach Dylan Muir was happy with the experience his team gained.
“It was great. I think it’s really going to help bring everyone closer together,” he said.
“Going away to another country, you’re around each other constantly. You get mixed emotions with racing, not every race is a great race, so it was about picking each other up and congratulating each other as well.”
Being around each other certainly helped the team.
For Luke, the support of his teammates and of those back home spurred him on.
“It was great having everyone there,” he said.
“It just pumped you up knowing everyone there and at home was supporting and staying in tune.”
While the tournament was a success for the club, the swimmers and coaches know they still have far to go.
With swimmers like Luke having aspirations to compete in the Australia nationals, the club is ensuring they develop the right way.
“We want to create a culture where they’re striving for excellence, in the pool and out of the pool with schoolwork, jobs…that’s what we demand,” coach Dylan Muir said.
“The reward is you get to compete with people from all over the world. There were swimmers from Dubai, Fiji, Tonga…so to give them life experience is really important to prepare.”
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Posted by Tayla Kershaw on Oct 22 2019. Filed under Featured, Sport. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
