New wave of stars launched as world para series wraps up on glitter strip

A PACKED year of Para swimming shot off the blocks at the World Para Series on the Gold Coast this week with the first of the nine-meet series announcing a new wave of stars amongst some Dolphin favourites and two veterans pivoting with a side hustle.

The three-day meet, which concluded tonight, featured more than 150 athletes from 12 countries with a strategic focus on outdoor racing ahead of the LA28 Paralympics.

For Australian athletes there was also the chance to post qualifying times ahead of selection for this year’s Glasgow Commonwealth Games and to gain valuable racing experience ahead of next month’s European tour.

Fourteen-year-old Mia Hogan was one of the youngest competitors to compete at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre and was named in the 25-member squad for Europe.

A vision-impaired athlete from Albury, Hogan made the A Final in the women’s 50m and 100m freestyle and secured times to be considered for Glasgow selection.

As for sprinters Rowan Crothers (pictured) and Tom Gallagher, they made headlines in the men’s 100m butterfly in a bid to go to Glasgow. With no freestyle events offered in their S10 classification, Crothers and Gallagher competed against experienced flyers Col Pearse and Alex Saffy for Glasgow consideration.

Paralympic Program Head Coach Mel Tantrum said it is exciting to see Australia boast such talent and depth in the event and classification.

“When you have the likes of Tom Gallagher and Rowan Crothers pushing Col Pearse and Alex Saffy, plus young gun Beau Matthews and an experienced Will Martin, it has created fierce competition right across the field,” Tantrum said.

Crothers and Gallagher went head to head again in the men’s 50m freestyle and Crothers, the reigning world champion put the world record on high alert with his time of 23.29 just shy of the longstanding mark of 23.16 set at the 2012 Paralympic Games by Andre Brasil.

In other results:

• Ben Hance and Tim Hodge came within striking distance of their respective world records. Hance ditched the racing suit ahead of the men’s 100m backstroke final and threatened his world record of 55.99 with a time of 57.25. In the men’s 200m individual medley, Hodge hit the wall at 2:15.00 but his world record of 2:12.03 remained intact.
• Lakeisha ‘Lucky’ Patterson dominated the women’s 100m freestyle and placed first ahead of fellow Dolphins Alexa Leary, Emily Beecroft and Madeleine McTernan.
• Two-time Paralympian Keira Stephens, who recently moved to Mel Marshall’s squad at Griffith, won the women’s 100m breaststroke. Canada’s Tess Routliffe and Stephanie Bruzzese placed second and third respectively. Stephens and Bruzzese will also travel to Europe with the squad.

A squad of Australian swimmers will depart for Europe next week and contest the second stop of the World Para Series at Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy on March 12-15.

TOURING SQUAD: