2022 Age National Championships

During the April school holidays ��AV sent six Swimmers to compete at the 2022 Age National Championships in Adelaide. The Championship marked the end of the Long Course Swimming season with the best 13 to 18 year old swimmers from across the country competing over the eight days of competition.

The event started with the Multi Class (MC) Championships; Georgia Bealing (Year 9) competed in 4 events across the first two days of competition. Georgia started the meet with exceptional results, improving her ranking from 2021 across all four of her events. She finished her program with one top 10 in Australia finish and huge seven second personal best time in the 200m Freestyle.

Georgia’s full results were:
• 8th in the 12 – 12yrs MC 100m Freestyle
• 12th in the 12 – 18yrs MC 200m Freestyle
• 15th in the 14 – 14yrs MC 50m Backstroke
• 19th in the 12 – 14yrs MC 50m Freestyle

Isabella Donnelley (Year 11) was the seasoned member of the team who competed in her fourth and final Age National Championships as a 16 year old. Isabella competed in the first event of the able-bodied Championships on Day 3 of overall competition, the 16yrs 100m Freestyle. Isabella swam a Long Course personal best time in the 100m Freestyle, finishing 28th.

On Day 4 of competition, ��AV entered a relay team into the 13-16yrs 4 x 100m Freestyle consisting of Kira Long (13yrs – Year 8), Alexandra Sharp (13yrs – Year 8), Isabella Donnelley (16yrs) and Isabel Klineberg (13yrs – Year 8). The relay team finished 23rd with a personal best time and an exceptional result for a young team competing against older athletes.

Day 5 was the largest day on the program for the ��AV team with four swimmers in action in the 13yrs 50m Freestyle. Kira was the first in the pool to qualify for the A Final. The next was Ali who equalled 10th, requiring a ‘swim off’ for the A Final. Ali swam a half-second personal best time in the swim off but narrowly came second, qualifying her for the B Final in the evening. Taylah Markulin (Year 8) and Isabel Klineberg were next into the water, finishing 76th and 78th respectively. Taylah, 60 minutes later, was back in the water for the 13yrs 200m Backstroke where she finished with her second fastest time and placed 16th. Later that afternoon both Kira and Ali were back for the Finals session to compete in their first National Final. Both swimmers supported each other and delivered fantastic results with Kira finishing 9th and Ali 11th in Australia for their age.

Day 6 had the four 13 year old swimmers returning to the competition pool, starting with Taylah and Kira swimming in the 13yrs 50m Backstroke. Taylah qualified for the B Final in the evening and Kira finished 29th. Later that morning in the 13yrs 100m Freestyle heats Kira and Ali qualified for the A Final and Isabel finished 70th. In the Finals session that evening ��AV had three swimmers competing in two separate events. First in the water was Taylah finishing 16th in the 50m Backstroke. In the 13yrs 100m Freestyle A final, Ali finished 8th in her first A final and Kira 9th, a brilliant result for ��AV to have two swimmers in the A final of a National event.

Day 7 was the final day of competition for the ��AV team. Both 13yrs Backstroke swimmers were back in the water for the 13yrs 100m Backstroke, where Taylah again qualified for the evening Finals session and Kira finished 26th. The final individual event of the heats program saw Ali and Kira racing in the longest of their events for the week, the 13yrs 200m Freestyle. Both girls were gallant in their efforts finishing in 17th (Ali) and 18th (Kira). The Finals program that evening had an exciting event for the team, the 13-14yrs 4 x 50m Freestyle relay consisting of Taylah Markulin, Kira Long, Isabel Klineberg and Alexandra Sharp. The team finished 9th and were the only team with all four swimmers in the youngest age bracket – an outstanding result at the end of a sensational meet. As a coach I could not be more proud of the team and their results during the week.

Michael Creighton
Head Coach - Swimming

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