The 2019 SunSmart WA State Age Long Course Swimming Championships were held at HBF Stadium from 20-23 December. Over the four days of competition, spectators were treated to some amazing performances from the best up and coming age athletes in the state, with 267 swimmers from 35 clubs.
The fourth final night of 2019 SunSmart WA State Age Long Course Swimming Championships once again dazzled as the State’s best age-groupers took to the water for the final time in 2019. From the 50m splash and dash to the distance kings and queens in action in the 1500m Freestyle, spectators were treated to an absolute spectacle as 287 Athletes from 35 Clubs swam valiantly.
Some of this evening’s highlights include:
Boy’s 16 Years 200m Individual Medley –
Adriano Todoro (UWA-West Coast, c: Michael Shaw) proved once again why he has been dubbed the “energiser bunny” as he ran away with the Boy’s 16 Year’s 200m IM. Through the first half of the race, it was a tight battle between the middle lanes, however, as expected moving into the Breaststroke leg, Todoro was too strong pulling away to a 5m lead thanks to a 37.93 split. Moving into the Freestyle, Todoro’s lead was too large and he claimed Gold in 2:11.00 ahead of Drew Mann (UWA-West Coast, c: Michael Shaw), Ardi Azman (Singapore) and Alec Mander (Perth City, c: Eoin Carrol).
Girl’s 13 Years 50m Freestyle –
The Girl’s 13 years 50m Freestyle was set to be an absolute cracker with a field stack with young talent. With Inez Miller (St Hildas c: Wendy Joyce), Telani Woodham (UWA-West Coast, c: Rob Palfery) and Brielle Krispyn (Manjimup Marlins, c: Pauline Collins) set to race from the middle lanes, the excitement within HBF Stadium was palpable. Off the block, Woodham looked the one to beat, however, Miller quickly shut the lead down and tore down the pool to claim Gold in 27.23.
Boy’s 16 Years 50m Freestyle –
The human highlight real, Joshua Edwards-Smith (UWA-West Coast, c: Michael Shaw) was in action one again in the Boy’s 16 Years 50m Freestyle. Right from the start, it was clear Edwards-Smith was a class above the rest as he stormed down to pool to finish in a historic 23.66. Edwards-Smith’s time broke the WA Residential Record which has stood since 2003 and was previously held by Matthew Lenton (23.69).
Boy’s 1500m Freestyle –
The Boy’s 1500m Freestyle saw a field some incredible performances as the Bunbury Beast, Kyle Lee (Bunbury, c: Jason Evans) claimed Gold to accompany his 400m and 800m Freestyle wins. Lee who has swum a huge programme throughout these Championships was too strong once again, swimming away at the 400m mark and cruising to victory in 16:11.38. Silver saw Robert Bonsall (UWA-West Coast, c: Jason Evans) in 16:26.35 with Bronze going to Christopher Verran (Guildford Kalamunda, c: Brett Tongue) who swam a 20 second PB to touch in 16:31.57.
Girl’s 12 – 16 Years 4x100m Medley Relay –
The Girl’s relay once again provided not just one of the highlight of this evening, but also one of the highlights of the Championships. In what was a topsy turvy affair, there were multiple lead changes which had spectators sitting on the edge of their chairs. Iona Anderson (Breakers, c: Harry Clark) led the field through the first 100m, only for the lead to be chased down by Caitlyn Ribbons (UWA-West Coast, c: Michael Shaw) in the Breaststroke. Moving into the Butterfly the race was extremely tight between UWA-West Coast, St Hilda’s and Westside Christchurch. Unfortunately for the other clubs, Kate Harrison was in the water for Westside Christchurch and pulled away to an unassailable lead. Westside Christchurch ran away with the race through Ellie Fry, touching home in 4:26.38, with St Hilda’s claiming Silver and UWA-West Coast rounding out the podium.
With all events now concluded, you can’t help but feel excited about the future of Western Australian Swimming as a pool of talent have proven themselves over the past days. With a wealth of Coaching talent guiding the next generation of stars, it is a great time to be a part of Swimming.
Once again, we would like to thank the generosity of the Swimming WA Officials and volunteers who give up their time to ensure the success of Championships meets such as this.
The full results for the final night on the PDF below:
