Junior swimmers compete in Adelaide
Woy Woy Swim Club was represented by four of its swimmers at the Australian Age Championships in Adelaide from April 8 to 13.
Rachel Wood, Laura Ghali, Myles Bailey and Katelyn Smith all competed at the championships which are considered the pinnacle for junior swimmers in Australia.
"Rachel was at her second pool Age Championships and continued on her great form from the Australian Open Water Championships and school swimming," said Woy Woy Swim Club junior vice president Ms Sonny Hinwood.
Rachel competed in the 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle events.
She swam a handful of personal bests and finished fifth in the 800m and sixth in the 400m freestyle.
"This is a magnificent effort considering the fact that most of the girls who finished in front of Rachel are ranked in the top 20 distance swimmers for girls of all ages in Australia," said Ms Hinwood.
"Laura Ghali competed at this level for the first time in Adelaide and swam well in the 400m Individual Medley.
"Laura is an outstanding role model for the Club's younger swimmers and always trains hard and gives her best at every opportunity," she said.
The Clubs only male competitor at these championships was Myles Bailey.
"Myles was also competing at his first Australian Age Championships and swam like a seasoned pro.
"In his first ever swim at this level he took almost eight seconds off his 200m backstroke time to qualify for the final.
"In the final, Miles shaved even more off his best securing a bronze medal.
"This is the club's first medal at these championships in 17 years, a magnificent effort and something that Myles is very proud of.
"Myles also competed in the 100m freestyle and 100m backstroke events where he managed even more personal bests and narrowly missed the final," said Ms Hinwood.
Katelyn Smith was also competing at this level for the first time and swam in six events in the multi class championships.
"Katelyn performed magnificently, swimming a personal best in her last event, the 50m breaststroke where she also finished second winning a silver medal, the Club's second medal at this level for many years," said Ms Hinwood.
Media Release, 20 Apr 2013
Sonny Hinwood, Woy Woy Swim Club