Gippsland will be well represented at this weekend’s 2025 Australian Open Short Course championships at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre.
The event will see 16 Gippsland representatives take on Australia’s best swimmers, five in the multi class section and 11 in the able bodied section.
The swimmers have swum a qualifying time to be a the event and are really looking forward to testing their ability among the best.
All Gippsland swimmers are in seeded heats, meaning they are often diving into swim against people they have idolised and to just be there at the event is exciting, but to be competitive against them is even more amazing.
Well-known Australia swimmers such as Felix Dressel-De Bruyn, Tara Kinder and Ahmed Kelly will be among those the Gippsland Swimmers will line up against.
A number of the Gippsland multi class swimmers have been setting Victorian Records for their classification this year and any personal best achieved in those events will mean records will continue to fall.
For young swimmers like 13-year-old Emily Croatto from South Gippsland Bass (SGB), it is a huge step up, swimming at the open event, when at the start of the year she wasn’t even old enough to swim at the National Age Championships.
Added to the excitement, her sister Claudia and her have qualified for the same event, the 200 metre breaststroke.
“I’m so excited to race against Australian dolphins and it’s going to be so much fun,” Emily said.
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to race at such a high level and a big thanks to my coaches who have helped me get there,” Claudia said.
For some of the older swimmers, the years of hard work has paid off, with swimmers like Ashley Nicholes from Traralgon ranked in the top 10 and hoping to make finals.
Many other Gippsland swimmers will be heading down to watch the event, and for those unable to
attend, the event will be broadcast on 9Now.
Gippsland will be represented by Isabelle Nash (Warragul), Olivia Ballie, Zayden Burton, Jessica Whiting, Nicholes, Darcy Connell
and Brody Cargill (all Traralgon), Miah Roberts, Claudia and Emily Croatto and Sophie Mckenzie (all SGB).
Competing in the multi class will be Ayvah Dennis and Tyra Jensen (both Warragul), Lockie Bellion (Traralgon), Levi Jarrett and Gemma Cook (both SGB).
