Iona Anderson, from Breakers Swim Club and the Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS), has won silver in the women's 100m backstroke event at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha.
The 18-year-old set a personal best time of 59.12 seconds, finishing second to American swimmer Claire Curzan who secured gold with a time of 58.29 seconds. Anderson's achievement not only marked a significant milestone in her career but also broke multiple Western Australian records she set last December.
Fellow Australian teammate, Jaclyn Barclay from Queensland, finished just 0.10 seconds off the podium with a time of 59.28 seconds, closely trailing Canada's Ingrid Wilm.
Anderson's in the best form of her career and it's incredible to see ahead of the Australian Olympic Trials, set to take place in Brisbane this June.
“It’s given me a little boost before Olympic trials, and to just be on the world stage is incredible,” said Anderson.
Anderson's success at the World Aquatics Championships has put her in a strong position to qualify for the upcoming Paris Olympics alongside Olympic champion and world record-holder Kaylee McKeown.
“We have our Trials in June so after Worlds, I will be building up and training for that in hopes of qualifying for the Games,” Anderson stated.
Today, Anderson is set to compete in the 50m backstroke event.
