NSW JEWISH SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS Meet records smashed as youth shine

THE grandstand at Des Renford Aquatic Centre’s indoor 25m pool was packed to the rafters last Sunday for the 74th NSW Jewish Swimming Championships, presented by Maccabi NSW Swim Club. The two main events – the open men’s and open women’s 100m freestyle races – both produced first-time victors. Kincoppal Rose Bay (KRB) Swim Club member Mia Spiro, 12, comfortably won the women’s race in 1:03.57 seconds, beating her seed time for the event by more than 2 seconds. Aviv Fahry (KRB), 14, won silver in 1:05.87, and Emmanuelle Raif (Maccabi), 14, claimed bronze in 1:10.92. Spiro said, “My strategy was to not go out of the blocks too fast too early, so I could save some energy for the last 50m, and it worked. “Freestyle, along with butterfly, are my two favourite strokes, so I always look forward to those events.” In the open men’s 100 free, Emmanuelle’s older brother, 17-year-old Maccabi swimmer Elijah Raif, won in 1:00.84, Jack Kessel, 14 (Maccabi) came second in 1:01.76, just a fraction of a second in front of bronze medallist Tristan Goldstein, 18, who finished in 1:01.79. Elijah said, “I’ve come second and third in this race a few times, so it’s nice to win it today,” and attributed his success to following the philosophy, “train like you’ve never won, and compete like you’ve never lost”. “This meet is always a nice one to swim in, and I think I’ll celebrate with the other placegetters, as they’re all good mates.” In terms of breaking meet records on the day, it was girls who led the way, smashing six of them in the remaining races. Sierra Miller broke three 9-yearold girls’ records that had stood since the 1990s. Her first was in the 50 butterfly, touching the wall in 38.96 seconds, to shave 1.8 seconds off Natalie Coleman’s 1993 record. She narrowly missed the 50 backstroke record time, but made up for it in the breaststroke with 47.31, to slice 0.38 of a second off Cherie Silver’s 1992 record. Saving her best for last, Miller obliterated Yael Galgut’s 1996 50m freestyle record by 1.9seconds, clocking 34.11 seconds. Fahry, 14, got among the medals and records too, setting a new 50m backstroke record for her age, of 35.03 seconds. And following her victory in the open women’s 100 free, Spiro, 12, smashed the girls’ 50 butterfly record that Coleman set in 1996, by 3.29 seconds, by finishing in just 31.99 seconds. Spiro then produced another electrifying performance to take 2.66 seconds off Eden Glover’s 2012 record in the girls’ 50m freestyle, clocking 28.84 seconds. Miller won the award for 12-and-under swimmer of the meet, and Fahry the 13-and-under award.

SOURCE: AJN