BY her own admission, a 14-month hiatus was just the catalyst Tara Kinder needed to reignite her swimming career.

The Victorian stepped away in February 2022 only to return to the pool in April 2023 and immediately establish herself as a bolter for senior honours.

Known as a breaststroker with a talent for the IM, Kinder will make her senior debut at the 2024 World Short Course Championships in Budapest.

Nominating Liesel Jones as her childhood hero, it was fitting that Kinder won the 100m (1:05.23) and 200m (2:18.25) at the 2024 Australian Short Course Championships – and also won the 200m and 400m IM to showcase her versatility.

For Kinder, 21, her time of 4:29.78 in the 400 IM was an 11 second PB after illness had gate-crashed her Paris Olympic trails.

Touching in ahead of Kayla Hardy (4:31.77) and Olympian Jenna Forrester (4:37.94), Kinder was surprised by her back-to-back best efforts in what World Short Course campaign head coach Simon Cusack said was a credit to her persistence.

She then continued her rapid improvement with four medals at two international World Cup stops in October, 2024.

“This sounds crazy because it’s the most painful but the 400 medley for me is more just about having fun because it switches things up every quarter  … I’ve been really enjoying it but to be honest, the past 12 months has just been a highlight for me,” she said.

“I thought I was done and now I am doing more than what I thought I was capable of and it’s given me some confidence. I can’t thank my coach Craig enough for giving me the space to find myself again … I chased that Dolphin number for a while and I am just so proud to be making my debut.

“And to be in the same race as (USA’s) Kate Douglas at the recent World Cups and to see her smash two world records was surreal. She is the world’s best and to look up with 10 metres to go and see fireworks going off for her world record was insane.

“It’s fired me up … I want to do what she’s doing.”

POD POP UP STAT:

Kinder, who is studying psychology part time, is also exploring the possibility of a tattoo apprenticeship.