Success for local swimmers

BY ALEX TIGANI

Two local swimmers could not help but make waves in October.

Muswellbrook swimmer Porscha Jimmieson had a successful campaign at the 2020 NSW Multi-Class Championships at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre (SOPAC).

The 14-year-old returned home with a gold medal, four silver and five personal best times.

“It was a really good experience and now I’m looking forward to Saturday’s time trials in Singleton,” Jimmieson told The Hunter River Times.

Singleton Amateur Swimming Club coach Melisa Geale has also cast the spotlight on Singleton’s Mackenzie Gray recently following her successful swim at last week’s Open Water Swimming Championships in Penrith.

She completed the 5km time trial with a time of 1:10:46.72.

“She did it in an hour and ten minutes and considering we have been going through Covid we have lost a lot of that endurance training so that was a great result,” Geale explained.

“Next year the nationals will be in Penrith in January so there’s two good points out of that.

“1. She is not going to be in the ocean and 2. she is not going to be stung by blue bottles (like last year in Adelaide) so when you have that poison running through you and she still finished it; it was gutsy effort.”