Stephanie Demestichas, Dylan Warren and Ellie Cole won medals for the Casey TigerSharks at the recent Victorian Open Short Course Championships. 33935 Picture: Stewart ChambersBy Marc McGowan
TEENAGE recruit Ellie Cole led three Casey TigerSharks medallists at the Victorian Open Short Course Championships this month.
Fourteen-year-old Stephanie Demestichas and 16-year-old Dylan Warren won a silver and bronze medal respectively, while multi-disability swimmer Cole claimed three gold.
Seventeen-year-old Cole, who won three medals at last year’s Beijing Paralympics, had her right leg amputated as a three-year-old due to a battle with cancer.
Her victories came in the mixed multi-disability 100m freestyle and 50m and 100m backstroke events.
Demestichas and Warren won their medals in the 1500m freestyle in their respective age groups and their times were national qualifiers.
The trio’s results helped the TigerSharks finish fourth in the overall standings.
Other top-10 placegetters were 16-year-olds Aleysha Tokai, Josh Beaver and Craig Watson and 19-year-old Brad York.
Casey head coach Ben Hiddlestone praised his medallists’ performances.
“Ellie was just away for an Australian team training camp and was able to focus and do 10 sessions a week, but while she’s doing her VCE she’s on a reduced training load,” Hiddlestone said.
“It’s a credit to her; she enjoys the work ethic here.
“Dylan and Steph are the only two who have averaged nine sessions a week since coming back in winter.
“It’s a minefield trying to get through winter without sickness … but they’ve stayed healthy and it’s no coincidence that they’re the two stepping up for medals.”
TigerSharks Beaver, York, Warren, Demestichas, Tokai, Cole, Cameron Hill and Tyrone Dobrunz will compete at the Australian Short Course Championships in Hobart from 8 to 12 August.
Watson is skipping the competition due to illness.
