Two records were broken, hundreds of medals won and many personal best times attained at the Tasmanian sprint and relay championships in Launceston.
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Swimmers, coaches and supporters from around Tasmania and interstate packed the Launceston Aquatic Centre as more than 200 competitors took part in the annual Swimming Tasmania event.
The record breakers were HC’s Daniel Shilcock, Ethan Jones, Samuel Castle, all 11, and Eli Jones, 9, and Hobart Aquatic’s Aurora Giuliani.
The HC foursome set a time of 2:28.88 in the boys’ 11-and-under 200m long course medley relay, breaking the all-comers’ record previously held by Hobart Aquatic.
And Giuliani set new Tasmanian and all-comer benchmarks in the girls’ 11-and-under 50m butterfly in 31.52 seconds, breaking her own state record, set at the Pacific School Games in Adelaide in December in the process.
Hobart Aquatic claimed 10 gold medals in the relays, with South Esk winning five and three each to Launceston Aquatic, HC and Riverside.
In the individual events, Hobart topped the medal table, followed by South Esk, HC, Riverside, Launceston, Burnie and Sandy Bay.
A number of swimmers claimed multiple individual state titles.
State champions from the North and North-West included _ from Burnie: Zali Munday, aged 13, Nicholas Plats, 18, Aviva Ross, 11; Launceston Aquatic: Dawson Howell, 16, Emily Mitchell, 12; Riverside: Will Bonney, 16, Jordan Cooper, 16, Marcus Darko, 16, Myra Donnelly, 15, Emily Lonergan, 16, Jack Sladden, 17, Tom Sladden, 15; South Esk: Mia Baldock, 13; Jonathan Clarke, 15, Samuel Cullen, 15, Kit DeJonge, 19, Hugh Dolle, 13, Aran Miller, 23, Charlotte Pilsbury-Milne, 12, Jonty Pretorious, 15, and Fraser Sutton, 17.
Open delight
Launceston Grammar student Chelsea Savage won the junior female section in race 10 of the Tasmanian Ocean Swim Series at Port Arthur.
Savage, 15, competed the 1.5km in what organisers described as “stunning conditions” in 20 minutes. Ray Winstanley, of Hobart, was first over the finish line in 17.17 minutes. Other section winners were: Emily Bird (open female); Samuel Askey-Doran (junior male); Andrew Brocklesby and Amanda Duggan (senior masters); Craig Shepherd and Louise D’Amico (masters).
Diary dates
- Feb 17: Time trial, Launceston.
- Feb 17: Huon Valley meet, Huonville pool.
- Feb 18: JX and beyond the black line clinic, Launceston.
- Feb 24: Time trial, Hobart.
- Feb 24: Riverside medal meet, Riverside pool.
- March 9-12: Tasmanian championships, Hobart.