The 2020 SunSmart Country Championships took place at HBF Stadium from 3 – 5 January. In what was an exhilarating showcase of Country Swimming, 242 of the best regional swimmers, took to the water representing their clubs and regions.
With Swimmers, Coaches, and Officials travelling from all across the state to compete in the weekend’s festivities, spectators were treated to an incredible showcase of Country Swimming as many Champions were crowned.
Some highlights include:
Women’s 4x50m Freestyle Relay –
The Women’s 4x50m Freestyle Relay saw a cracking race between Peel Aquatic and Mandurah with just over a second separating the two teams. Peel got off to a great start due to a magical performance from Mackenzi Logan (Peel, c: Patrick Stellino) however, Mandurah fought hard through the second 50m thanks to Sophia Hays (Mandurah, c: James Hornby). In the end, Peel proved too strong and swam away to victory, touching home in 1:59.59, ahead of Mandurah (2:00.72) and Bunbury (2:06.01).
Men’s 1500m Freestyle –
In what has become all too expected, Kyle Lee (Bunbury, c: Jason Evans) once again proved to be a class above the rest in the Men’s 1500m Freestyle. Lee who was in stellar form throughout 2019 has started 2020 with a bang as he torched the field to finish in 16:19.69, 85 seconds ahead of Silver. Lee, who was fresh off a successful campaign at the 2019 SunSmart WA State Age Long Course Championships showed his incredible speed to split a 1:00.88 in the last 100m. Lee finished ahead of teammate Owen Cattaway (Bunbury, c: Jason Evans) and Ben Roots (Mandurah, c: James Hornby).
Girls 11 Years 100m Freestyle –
The Girls 11 Years 100m Freestyle saw a nail-biting finish to see who would be crowned Country Champion for 2020. With only 0.47 seconds separating Gold and Bronze, you couldn’t help but feel the excitement in the Stadium as the 11-year-old’s sprinted to the touch. Coming away with the Gold in a time of 1:13.01 was Tamzyn Laverack (Peel) ahead of Taizley Krispyn (Manjimup Marlins) who finished in 1:13.41, just ahead of Madeline Harvey (GMAS) who stopped the clock in 1:13.48.
Boys 13 Years 100m Freestyle –
The 13-Year-Old Boys once again provided a huge highlight of the second session in the 100m Freestyle. Claiming Gold is relatively easy fashion was Pilbara local, Conor Langlands (Karratha) who swam a 0.41 second PB to take Gold in 1:02.09 ahead of Joel Davies (Bunbury) and Xavier Cox (Carnarvon).
Boys 9 Years 100m Breaststroke –
The Boy’s 9 Years 100m Breaststroke saw a tightly contested battle for the Medals with only 2.1 seconds separating Gold from 4th. Kalel Jacinto (Pinjarra) lead the field through the first 50m, however, Alexander Travasso (Geraldton) was too strong, steaming home to touch in 1:44.25 ahead of Jacinto (1:45.04) and Thomas Blandford (Bunbury) who finished in 1:45.86.
Women’s 100m Backstroke –
There was another cracking race in the Women’s 100m Backstroke with Sophia Hays (Mandurah) coming away with an absolute nail-biter. Hays was trailing through the first 50m behind Kaylee Cleggett (Bunbury), however, Hays motored home to claim Gold in 1:19.14, ahead of Hays and Amie Holwill (Australind) with only 0.5 seconds separating the trio.
2020 SunSmart Country Championships Swimmer of the Meet -
With the SunSmart Country Championships finalised for another year, it was time to present the 2020 Swimmer of the Meet. In what was a tightly contested battle, with only 2 points separating first from third, the incredible Kyle Lee (Bunbury) was crowned Champion. Lee’s immense efforts saw him compete in 14 events, winning 12 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze medals. Lee who has become a superstar in Country Swimming continues to develop into an exceptional athlete, competing on the highest level. The unofficial King of Bunbury has been dominating swimming in WA and now adds another statistic to his loaded resume.
With all events now concluded, you can’t help but feel excited about the future of Country Swimming in Western Australia as a pool of talent has proven themselves. With an ever-growing support network for regional swimming and some very exciting opportunities developing, it is a fantastic time to be a part of Country Swimming and the next 18 months will be instrumental in the development of some incredible Clubs and athletes.
Once again, Swimming WA would like to thank the generosity of the Officials and volunteers who give up their time to ensure the success of Championships meets such as this.
Full results on the PDF below:
