For Echuca Swim Club trio Emily McMillan, Jack Hawkins, and Charlotte Wilson, the 2023 Victorian Country Long Course Championships provided an opportunity for the young swimmers to set a new bar.
And that’s exactly what they did.
Held from January 21 to 23 in Wangaratta, each competitor walked away with new personal best times battling 37 other country swimming clubs.
McMillan kicked off her campaign in style with a barnstorming swim in the girl’s 12-year-old 100m freestyle.
Her heat swim of one minute, 10 seconds was a new personal best and fast enough to qualify for the event final, where she placed fifth.
Another fast swim in the 100m backstroke heat saw McMillan beat her person-best by 2.87 seconds.
Wilson also went to another level at the championships, shaving 1.39 seconds off her personal best with a time of 1.37 in the 100m breaststroke heats.
Competing in the boy’s 11-and-under 50m breaststroke, Hawkins’ heat swim time of 45.26 was a new personal record in the event.
