Queenslanders have dominated the WA Open Water State Championships at Coogee Beach – winning seven medals – three of them gold.
While fellow Queenslander, Paris Olympic 10km silver medallist Moesha Johnson was dominating the final 10km World Cup event in NOEM, the next generation were in fine form themselves in the west…and taking the inspiration of Johnson’s swim along with them.
The team watching Johnson’s performance the night before they took the plunge themselves.
The nine-strong emerging Maroons touring team featured seven members of the official Queensland State Team and two Queensland swimmers Sienna Deurloo and Daisy Quinn who were funded by Swimming Australia.
There was a gold and silver finish for Queensland in the 7.5km event in both the men’s and women’s with Riley Meares (St Peters Western) and Lachlan Evans (Churchie) going 1-2 overall with Jake Hammond(Sunshine Coast Grammar) fourth in the men’s race.
While Amelie Smith (Rocky City) and Rylee Smith (Sunshine Coast Grammar) repeated the quinella in the women’s race – all four swimmers claiming their medals in the Under 18 division.
Meares clocking 1hr 29 ins 52.10 secs to spearhead the 7.5km field to the finish ahead of Evans (1:31.19.7) with Amelie Smith (1:33.08.1) ahead of Rylee Smith (1:35.10.8) taking gold and silver – the pair finishing fifth and sixth overall in the 40-strong field.
While in women’s premier 10km race it was Deurloo (Toowoomba Grammar) and Quinn (Sunshine Coast Grammar) who were first and second home in the open female with Ella Reynolds (Noosa) fourth overall and second in the 17-18 years in the women’s field – the Queensland trio finishing ninth, 11th and 12th overall in a field of over 100 starters.
Deurloo finishing in 2hrs 05mins 12.6secs ahead of Quinn (2:08.07.6) and Reynolds (2:08.10.7).
In the men’s 10km it was Dylan Murphy (Noosa) who finished a close-up fourth in a red-hot field, in a time of 1:53.04.0 in a race won by emerging WA 22-year-old Rob Bonsall (1:51.16.2) who upset WA Olympian Kyle Lee (1:52.44.3) with NSW Euan Liney (1:53.02.7) third.
Race day turned on perfect conditions for the 800 competitors who turned out on the day, better than the first day the Queensland team arrived for training which were “very windy, with strong currents, it was cold, there were jelly fish and choppy water,” according to head Luke Stafford.
“Thursday was much the same… except the wind was blowing from a different direction and was super windy and choppy. By Friday it started to come good and then come race day on Saturday it was a golden day, super flat, clear, excellent conditions.
“Our team trained in the cold and in the chop, they just got on with it and I guess we thought that’s what it was going to be like but it turned out actually to be quite nice in the end.”
Stafford saying that everyone came away with some important learnings.
“We wanted to create conditions that these swimmers were going to experience in the future, at Nationals (coming up in January in Busselton, WA) and hopefully international racing,” said Stafford.
“Races where and they are not going to be on their own; they are going to be swimming in packs; some did end up on their own, but some did find themselves in the pack which is going to help them in the future with drafting (rules) and everyone definitely got some invaluable experience.
“Some in different areas than others but on the whole there was some really good experiences for the team that watched Moesha’s performance and it certainly spurred them on that’s for sure.
“They have to know it’s not always going to be the same race, that’s the thing with open water, it always throws up something different.
“You never know what mother nature will throw up at you…what the competition will throw at you…you have to learn how to be able to adapt….and get that experience.
“We have definitely seen that with Moesha at the moment and she is starting to come into her own…and these kind if experiences that Swimming Queensland is providing for the next generation will hopefully get them into a similar position, sometime in the near future.
“It’s going to take quite a number of races to get the hang of it…and to know what your body is capable of as well.
“Moesha is starting to get a really good handle on it now, knowing how she feels during the race..knowing what she is capable of when she feels a certain way and what the field is doing…things that take a little bit of time… ..
“They really don’t get that many opportunities to race in Australia…there’s not too many of these 7.5 an 10km races, so to get another one under their belt, only a couple of months out from Nationals, is certainly going to help them with their confidence.
“Knowing they can swim the distance, swim the distance well….and swim it at the pace they need to to keep up with the best in Australia….”
