Western News: August 17, 2023
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Thursday <strong>August</strong> <strong>17</strong> <strong>2023</strong> 9<br />
Lifestyle leads to world champs<br />
• By Jaime Cunningham<br />
FOR BROOKE Bennett,<br />
swimming has always been a<br />
lifestyle.<br />
Before she started to swim<br />
competitively, Bennett can<br />
remember going down to the<br />
pool often with her family<br />
members.<br />
“It’s always been in the family.<br />
“My nana used to always<br />
take me down to the pool, but<br />
I mainly got into it because<br />
my sister used to swim<br />
competitively,” she said.<br />
Just six years after starting<br />
to swim competitively, the<br />
year 12 student at Villa Maria<br />
College is off to the junior world<br />
championships in Israel next<br />
month.<br />
She managed to reach what<br />
Swimming New Zealand calls<br />
a “silver” time in the 1500m<br />
freestyle event at the national<br />
age group championships in<br />
April to qualify for next month’s<br />
meet.<br />
The 16-year-old is the only<br />
South Island-based swimmer<br />
selected in the seven-strong<br />
team, and is “really excited” to<br />
represent New Zealand for the<br />
first time.<br />
“I really want to do well in my<br />
swims, and hopefully get some<br />
personal bests – but mainly I<br />
just want to enjoy the<br />
ENDURANCE: Brooke Bennett specialises in long-course freestyle events. <br />
experience,” the Vikings<br />
swimmer said.<br />
Bennett will race in the<br />
200m, 800m and 1500m freestyle<br />
events at the six-day meet.<br />
She goes into the meet<br />
following a successful<br />
New Zealand short course<br />
championships in Hastings<br />
last week where Bennett claimed<br />
gold in the 16 years<br />
200m, 400m and 1500m<br />
freestyle.<br />
Although Bennett’s specialist<br />
races are the longer-course<br />
freestyle events, she admits<br />
she “likes to do some<br />
breaststroke every now and<br />
then.”<br />
The junior team will travel to<br />
Dubai on Sunday for a two-week<br />
camp before the meet begins on<br />
September 4.<br />
It will be Bennett’s first time<br />
travelling further than Australia<br />
to compete, as well as the<br />
biggest meet she has ever<br />
competed in.<br />
Bennett will also represent<br />
New Zealand in the Queensland<br />
State Championships in<br />
December before heading to<br />
Sydney for the New South<br />
Wales open water<br />
championships.<br />
Although Bennett wants<br />
to wear the fern again after<br />
this year, she is focused on her<br />
short-term goals rather than<br />
the pinnacle events like the<br />
Commonwealth or<br />
Olympic Games.<br />
“I mean it’s definitely a<br />
possibility, but I don’t want to<br />
put that pressure on me. I just try<br />
to be my best.<br />
“And if that means I go to<br />
the Commonwealth Games or<br />
Olympics, that’s how it is.”<br />
SUCCESS: Brooke Bennett<br />
claimed three gold medals<br />
at the New Zealand short<br />
course championships in<br />
Hastings last week.<br />
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