Stephanie Demestichas won a bronze medal in the women’s 1500m freestyle at last week’s Australian Short Course Championships. 35051 Picture: Donna OatesBy Marc McGowan
STEPHANIE Demestichas has the Olympics on her mind after winning the Casey TigerSharks’ first able-bodied national open medal at last week’s Australian Short Course Championships.
The 14-year-old Narre Warren distance queen picked up a surprise bronze medal in the women’s 1500m freestyle in the Hobart-based competition.
Demestichas was the youngest medal-winner at the national championships and earned it the hard way.
She was seven seconds adrift of eventual fourth-placegetter Andrea Patrulescu with 400m to go, but mowed the Sydneysider down in the final stages to pip her by six-tenths of a second.
Demestichas’ time of 16:46.14 slashed almost 15 seconds off her personal best in the event.
She swam 8:23.96 in the first 750m before coming home in 8:22.18 – an amazing feat considering her rivals were all significantly slower on the back end of their races.
“I didn’t really expect it,” the Year 9 Casey Grammar student said.
“I thought I might have a chance with (only) six in it, but I thought I’d left it a bit too late … but I was proud of myself because I proved in the last 400m that I could come back.”
Demestichas’ bronze comes on top of her two silver medals at this year’s Australian Age Championships in the 400m and 800m freestyle.
TigerSharks head coach Ben Hiddlestone praised his hard-working pupil’s effort.
“It’s a fantastic result for a kid who deserves it as much as anyone after all the hard sessions she’s banged out,” he said.
“Steph had a breakthrough at national age this year and got straight back in the water for winter.
“She snuck down to Hobart and no-one was expecting a 14-year-old to be so competitive.”
Demestichas has set herself the realistic goal of making the national team for the 2012 London Olympics.
“I’ll try and get under 16 minutes when I’m 17 and I will try my hardest to make the 2012 Olympics team,” she said.
Meanwhile, Australian Paralympic head coach Brendan Keogh last week named TigerShark Ellie Cole in the 16-strong squad for the 2009 IPC World Short Course Championships in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil in December.Cole won one gold, two silvers and one bronze at last week’s Australian Short Course Championships, including a world record in the S9 classification in the 200m individual medley.
