Casey TigerSharks, clockwise from top, Dylan Warren, Olivia Raiti, Stephanie Demestichas, Josh Beaver, Craig Watson, Jacob Kennedy, Tyrone Dobrunz and Aleysha Tokai won medals at last week’s Victorian Age By Marc McGowan
THE Casey TigerSharks are looking confidently ahead to Age Nationals after a club-record display at last week’s Victorian Age Championships.
The TigerSharks were the fifth-best performed club – and fourth best in Victoria – and stars Aleysha Tokai and Craig Watson were the champions of their respective age groups.
Watson, 16, also earned the honour in 2007 and 2008.
He was the first Victorian home in the 16-year-old boys’ 100m and 200m freestyle and 200m individual medley and picked up bronze in the 100m breaststroke.
Tokai, 15, was equally dominant, amassing four gold medals, a silver and a bronze.
She also received a late call-up to the national team for the Australian Youth Olympic Festival from 14 to 18 January on the strength of her display at last year’s Australian Short Course Championships.
Casey, which was missing prominent members Jemma Phillips (chronic fatigue syndrome) and McKenzie Cunningham (virus), won 11 gold, four silver and six bronze medals overall.
Other medallists were 15-year-olds Stephanie Demestichas (gold and silver), Josh Beaver (gold and silver) and Dylan Warren (bronze), 14-year-olds Tyrone Dobrunz (gold and silver) and Jacob Kennedy (gold and two bronze) and 13-year-old Olivia Raiti (bronze).
State finalists Liam Etheve and Cameron Hill joined the medallists as national qualifiers and will compete at the Australian Age Championships in Sydney in April.
TigerSharks head coach Ben Hiddlestone was pleased with his swimmers’ performance, but said the national competition was the main focus.
“Fourth at that Age Championship level is our best result ever. (But) I was kind of hoping some of the kids would swim faster times,” he said.
“The good ones are having to look at Australian Age Championships level – if you’re winning states in a time that doesn’t win a medal at nationals then you’re, obviously, looking for that little bit extra time.”
Hiddlestone was particularly thrilled to see Dobrunz, Kennedy, Demestichas and Beaver become state champions for the first time.
“It’s a big relief for them. A guy like Josh has been in the game for a while,” he said.
“It was good to have a couple of first-seconds this year, too, like Jacob and Tyrone (in the 14-year-old boys’ 100m breaststroke) and Aleysha and Steph (in the 15-and-under girls’ 800m freestyle).”
Hiddlestone also backed Swimming Australia officials’ decision to ban the ankle-to-wrist bodysuits in age group racing from 1 April.
Brisbane-based Pearcedale athlete Nathan Cobbe used one of the performance-enhancing bodysuits to beat Watson in the 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle.
“The visitor (Cobbe) was wearing one of these brand-new $800 bodysuits – they’re a little bit better than the LZR (Racer Suit),” Hiddlestone said.
“I don’t like it. We were very close to having someone fly down from Brisbane and have our whole team fitted out for Age Nationals because no-one wants to be the one standing up without them.
“It’s great that Australian swimming has brought in that rule – it brings it back to just swimming skill and fitness and takes the money factor out of it.”
The Victorian Open Championships start tomorrow (Friday) and run until Sunday.
Brad York will lead Casey’s charge at the event.
