HBF Stadium played host to the 2024 Swimming WA Country Championships from January 5-7. With 316 competitors from 35 regional clubs spanning the distance from Esperance to Broome, this event was a fantastic way to start off the new year.
The star of the show, 12-year-old sensation Jay Pfoeffer (Australind, c: Taarna Cam), made quite the performance by clinching the title of Swimmer of the Meet.
Pfoeffer's commitment shone through as he clinched gold in an astounding ten races, displaying his versatility from the splash ‘n’ dash 50m Freestyle to the demanding 200m IM.
A jaw-dropping highlight was Pfoeffer's domination in the Boys 10 and over 200m Backstroke, where he sliced off a staggering eight seconds, touching at 2:34.11. This Country Champion left competitors Hedland’s Oakley Reynolds and Australind’s Benjamin Flynn trailing behind.
The three-day event witnessed other standout performances, with Ingrid Blandford (Bunbury, c: Mickie Castieau) ruling the female freestyle events and seizing first place in the Women's 400m IM. Her brother, Thomas Blandford, mirrored the success by dominating all male freestyle distance events.
Yani Davis (Karratha, c: Briana Crisp) claimed Country Champion in six events, notably excelling in Backstroke. The Women's 50m Freestyle saw a nail-biting finish between Jordan King (Peel Aquatic) and Brielle Krispyn (Manjimup Marlin), with King claiming victory by a mere 0.08 seconds.
In the pool's butterfly realm, Lily O'Meara (Busselton, c: Andrew Sexton) dominated in the Girls' 15-16 years 100m Butterfly, clocking in at 1:05.61. Busselton teammate Marcus Van Rooyen stole the spotlight in the Men's 200m Breaststroke, emerging as the fastest male swimmer of the competition in the event.
Violet Reynolds (Busselton, c: Andrew Sexton) secured the title of overall Country Champion in the Girls' 15-16 50m Backstroke, ahead of Mandurah’s Chelsea Maley and Busselton’s Maddy Stephens. Swimming WA would like to extend a heartfelt appreciation to the Technical Officials and volunteers who made the event a success.
