Northern Territory swimming championships give proving grounds for emerging athletes

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Australia's next wave of swimming stars has been making a splash at the Northern Territory Country Swimming Championships underway in Darwin. The competition attracts young swimmers from across the nation and serves as a proving ground for emerging athletes with their sights set on Olympic glory.

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00:00Pushing themselves to the limit and achieving personal goals.

00:08The bar has been set high at Parap Pool this weekend, with local talent getting a run for

00:13their money against fierce southern competition.

00:15It's a good experience to get like to surround yourself with people who are a lot faster

00:21than you.

00:22Ten-year-old Ballarat swimmer Georgie Kennett broke a decades-old territory record in the

00:27session, finishing the 50 metres freestyle in 29.83 seconds.

00:31When I looked up at the board I was really, really happy, but I didn't know that I got

00:37the record until I went back and they told me.

00:40That's a pretty phenomenal swim anywhere in the world, 29.8 for a 10-year-old girl is a

00:46phenomenal swim.

00:47Attracting over 200 swimmers from around the country, this competition aims to be a launchpad

00:51for both swimmers and officials who aren't usually given the same opportunities as their

00:55peers from the city.

00:57It gives country kids more of an opportunity to make finals and compete in the afternoon

01:03sessions as compared to if you were to do it in your state chance, because normally the

01:10city kids are faster I guess.

01:12Teenager Sarah Hancock is diving into the competition off the back of national success.

01:17Having just returned from this year's para swimming trials in Adelaide with a bronze medal,

01:21she has her sights set on Paralympic gold.

01:24What are you looking to achieve in the next 12 months, are the Commonwealth Games on the

01:27horizon or maybe future Paralympic Games?

01:30Yeah, hopefully I make LA, but we've just got to work harder on time.

01:35The most pleasing thing for me is the belief that those guys are creating for the younger

01:39generation that they can actually do it here.

01:42It's achievable, it's a body of water, wherever it is really makes no difference.

01:46With records tumbling, the country's next wave of swimming stars are just getting warmed

01:51up.

01:54So, the ones you have seen are just like the two different kingdoms, it's a body of water,

01:57but I'm just going to be doing that.

02:00So now, I'm going to be doing that from the first time.

02:01So now, you're just going to be doing that from one of the first time.

02:03You're just trying to set up your own charisma

02:11and on your calendar.

02:12You're just going to be doing that from the second time as you can do it.

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