Casey TigerSharks Mitchell Pratt and Holly Brettle brought back a Victorian record and 10 medals between them from the Victorian Age Short Course Championships over the weekend. 86719 Picture: JARROD POTTER
By JARROD POTTER
CASEY TigerSharks Swimming Club drained the pool of medals at the Victorian Age Short Course Championships at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, taking nine gold, 12 silver and 11 bronze as well as a Victorian state record to cap off the meet.
The meet highlight for the TigerSharks was Cranbourne South’s Mitchell Pratt, 17, taking out the 17-18 boys 200-metres butterfly in a Victorian record time of 1.57.39 minutes. Pratt also won gold in the 100m butterfly and the 100/200m backstroke double.
“I went well – I got one Vic record and four gold out of six races, so I was pretty happy with the effort,” Pratt said.
Holly Brettle, 18, from Beaconsfield, claimed six medals in one of her first big swim meets as a TigerShark – also registering seven personal bests to cap off a very successful championships including a best time of 4:43.94 in her pet event – the 400m individual medley.
“I won five silvers and a bronze out of eight swims overall,” Brettle said. “Seven PBs so I was really happy with it.
In the 400IM I was able to come second, on my PB so I was really happy with that.
I was happy to just be able to do PBs in events I haven’t been able to in years, so it was really great to get back down to them.”
Other successful TigerSharks from the meet were Shaun Banzon, who won the 13 boys 100m breaststroke in 1.09.87 and the 200m freestyle in 2.04.47, Tahlia Banh claimed the 11 girls 200m butterfly in 2.40.71 and Tyrone Dobrunz won both the17-18 boys 200m breaststroke in 2.18.14 and the 100m backstroke in 1.03.18.
“We did really well at the championships,” TigerSharks head coach Ben Hiddlestone said.
“There were some outstanding individual performances.
“Team-wise we were fourth or fifth – we can’t compete on the numbers of some of the bigger clubs, but we had some brilliant individual performances instead.”
Hiddlestone also highlighted the efforts of Nick Galileos, who has only recently joined the club and won silver in the 113 boys 200m backstroke.
Nick Galileos just joined our club in the last sixth months,” Hiddlestone said.
“Joined in excellently, has great training attributes and does it in the pool as well.”
