Today, Tuesday April 7 would have been the start of the 2020 Hancock Prospecting Australian Age Championships which were set to be held in Perth at HBF Stadium. With a strong contingency of WA athletes qualifying for this year’s Championships, it would have undoubtedly been a magnificent event for Western Australian sport and a just reward for the efforts that Swimming WA, Tourism WA and VenuesWest put into the bid to secure these championships.
Due to COVID-19, the 2020 Hancock Prospecting Australian Age Championships and the 2020 Hancock Prospecting Australian Open Championships were cancelled by Swimming Australia leaving swimmers across the country without the opportunity to showcase their season’s work.
This global pandemic has left many swimmers feeling empty after months of hard work has gone unrewarded. However, there is no doubt that this hiatus for our sport will provide swimmers and coaches with an opportunity to grow and develop to ensure they come back stronger and faster in the 2020/2021 season.
In every negative situation there can be a ‘silver lining’ and the fact that swimming is not proceeding for the time being does allow youngsters throughout WA and across the country a once in a lifetime opportunity. In particular, Joshua Edwards-Smith (UWA-West Coast, c: Michael Shaw) and Kate Harrison (Westside Christchurch, c: Jon Harrison) who will now have an additional 12 months to prepare for a potential Olympic debut in Tokyo.
Swimming WA CEO Mr. Darren Beazley praised the efforts of Western Australians who qualified for these prestigious championships;
“Swimming WA would like to congratulate all swimmers who qualified for both the Hancock Prospecting Age and Open National Championships as well as their Clubs, Coaches, Technical Officials, parents and support networks who assisted in their pursuit of excellence” Mr. Beazley said.
“It is incredibly disappointing that at a time when western Australian swimming has developed so much talent, that we were robbed of the opportunity to see that hard work on display against the very best in the nation. However, we keep moving forward with purpose and to that end, on behalf of involved with swimming in Western Australia, our sincere congratulations to those listed in this announcement for attaining such a remarkable feat for the 2019/20 season. I look forward to seeing you back in action sooner rather than later” he closed.
Our congratulations to the following on qualifying for the 2020 Hancock Prospecting Australian Age Championships and the 2020 Hancock Prospecting Australian Open Championships;
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Additionally, Swimming WA would like to congratulate all Technical Officials who were appointed to officiate at the Championships. They are as follows;
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Name |
Club |
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Jim Bolger |
Albany |
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Kaye Bolger |
Albany |
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Greg Wilson |
Breakers WA Swim Club |
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Monique Philips |
Breakers WA Swim Club |
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Maricel Van De Nadort |
Central Aquatic Swimming and Life Saving Club |
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Kim Blake |
GMAS |
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Trevor Verran |
Guildford Kalamunda |
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Alison Tilt |
Mandurah |
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Steve Jones |
Mandurah |
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Nick Short |
Morawa Amateur Swimming Club |
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Sam Coten |
Perth City Swimming Club |
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Fiona Christie |
Riverton |
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Ray Pearce |
Riverton |
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Debra Doody |
South Shore |
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Kylie Baker |
South Shore |
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Verona Niemann |
Southlake Dolphins Swimming Club Inc |
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Stella Carrara |
Southside Penrhos Wesley |
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Katherine Hurford |
Thornlie and Districts Swimming Club |
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Katherine Reynolds |
UWA-West Coast Swimming Club |
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Leanne Watson |
UWA-West Coast Swimming Club |
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Simon Holland |
UWA-West Coast Swimming Club |
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Steve Hill |
UWA-West Coast Swimming Club |
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Dorothy Harris |
Waroona Amateur Swimming Club |
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Shirley Godfrey |
Westside Christchurch Aquatic |
Please note all competitors will still receive their National Qualifiers gift which will be sent to all clubs once the Swimming WA office reopens on May 4th.
For more information, please contact projects@wa.swimming.org.au.
