Masterful Carp cruises at champs

VETERAN superfish Michael Carp has taken home a swag of medals, including two gold, from the 40th Masters Swimming Australia National Championships held in Tasmania last week.

Australia’s pinnacle swimming event for masters saw Carp star in the 45-49 age group, touching first in the 50m and 100m backstroke, as well as winning silver in the 200m backstroke.

Karp rounded off the four day meet at the Hobart Aquatic Centre with a bronze medal in the 200m mixed medley, where he swum the backstroke leg on behalf of his swimming club, Melbourne H20.

“It was fantastic event, but quite exhausting,” Carp told the AJN. “Four days of swimming definitely takes it out of you.”

Making his achievements at the National Championships even more impressive is the fact that Carp only returned to competitive swimming 12 months ago after a three-decade hiatus due to chronic injuries.

How’s he feeling now? “After four days of competition I’m a little bit sore but by next week I’ll be back to normal.”

Carp, who was a champion junior swimmer for AJAX during the 70s and 80s, is still very active within Jewish swimming circles and aims to be part of a strong masters swimming squad at the 2017 Maccabiah in Israel.

“I helped Maccabi with their MS Swim-a-thon last year, “ Carp said.

“Our team actually won the most distance swum and the most funds raised.

“[The 2017 event] will be my first Maccabiah and I’m hoping to go with my daughters, Taya and Asia, who are trying to make the junior team.”

ADAM BLAU

Pictured: Michael Carp shows his medal haul the 40th Masters Swimming Australia National Championships