- Read about Ararat’s Eloise Wills and Deacon Briggs – click here.
SIX Wimmera district swimmers are putting the final touches on preparations for the Victorian Country Long Course Swimming Championships.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Three Horsham Sharks, two Ararat Swimming Club members and another from Warracknabeal will participate in the championships that start in Sale on Friday.
It will be a third time at the championships for Horsham’s Matthew Ough.
The 16-year-old will compete in five different events in the 16-17 age group.
“It is exciting to be going again,” he said.
“My aim is to break personal bests and hopefully make it into finals.”
Due to regular Sharks training sessions being on hold over the holiday period, the swimmers have had to keep up their training individually.
“I’ve been trying to stick to my regular training program,” Ough said.
“Sometimes it is hard to do that during the holidays though.”
For Ough’s Sharks teammates Lily Bolton and Montanna Connelly, it is a first chance to compete at the championships.
Swimmers need to meet strict qualifying times to be eligible to compete at the championships.
The 14-year-old Connelly qualified to swim the 100 metre backstroke in the 14-15 age group.
“I qualified in December,” she said.
“I’m excited to try and beat my personal best.”
Bolton, 11, will swim the 50 metre backstroke as well as the 50 metre freestyle.
She said it had been difficult to continue training over the holidays but she was ready to compete.
“It’s much easier to train with more people,” she said.
“That’s why it’s good to be going with some other Horsham swimmers.”
Warracknabeal’s Lily Eldridge will compete in the 100 metre freestyle, 100 metre backstroke and 100 metre breaststroke in the 13-year-old age group.
Lily’s mum Kelly Ough said she had been training extra hard since qualifying for her first championships in November.
“She’s been training with the Warracknabeal club and she also trains individually twice a week,” she said.
“It’s all about here trying to beat her personal bests this year and enjoying the experience.
“Next year we will set our goals a bit higher once she’s had a taste of it.”
Ararat swimmers Eloise Wills and Deacon Briggs will also be competing.
Former Sharks Miette Hopper, Layla Atherton, Isabella Geue and Luca Geue will compete at the championships.
Despite still living in Horsham the four swimmers regularly swim as part of the Ballarat squad.
