WA Next-Gen Swimmers Continue State Resurgence

Young WA swimming talent Ethan McAleese has returned an impressive set of results from the Commonwealth Youth Games recently completed in the Bahamas.

The 17 year-old Leda resident who is coached by Will Scott out of the Southern High Performance Training Centre, picked up bronze medals in the 400m IM and as a relay member of the Australian 4x200m freestyle team.

In a busy race schedule, McAleese also finished fourth in the finals of the 200m freestyle and 200m IM, rounding out a highly productive junior representative campaign.

For many of the Australian athletes at the Youth Games in the Bahamas, it represented the first time they have travelled overseas for competition and providing a learning curve in terms of preparation and coping with time away from school, family and structured support.

Australian Commonwealth Youth Games Team General Manager and legendary Paralympian swimmer Matthew Cowdrey said he was impressed by the professionalism of the group, particularly how well they bonded as a collective and coped with a compromised travel routine after connecting flights enroute to the Bahamas where missed in the US.

“Despite the challenges, I was unbelievably proud of how our athletes handled themselves and were able to respond. The professionalism of these young athletes is just so impressive and has come a long way since I was in their shoes,” Cowdrey said.

“A Commonwealth Youth Games is about the experience. It is a stepping stone to bigger and better things. I have no doubt that the lessons learned by all our athletes at these youth games, will make them better athletes in the future. And that is what it is all about.”

McAleese’s efforts at the Commonwealth Youth Games come as WA prepares to send three local talents to compete at this month’s Junior Swimming World Championships in the USA.

Junior national champion Jemima Horwood will be joined in action by fellow WA swimmers Taj Jones and Busselton raised athlete Jasmine Hopkins.

The under-age representative swimmers follow-on from three WA athletes (Brianna Throssell, Zac Incerti and Holly Barratt) who recently competed at the FINA World Championships in Budapest, marking something of a resurgence for swimming in this state, which itself was a topic covered recently in The West Australian newspaper.

Horwood will focus on freestyle events in Indianapolis and you can read more about Jemima’s journey via a local feature through the Community News Group.