WAIS Swimmers Impress at Junior Pan Pacs

WAIS swimmers Tamsin Cook, Grace Hull, Sacha Downing and Damian Fyfe have all medalled at the Junior Pan Pacs in Hawaii as part of an impressive 18 medal haul for the Australian team.

Tamsin Cook earned dual silver, after finishing second in the women’s 400m free, and forming part of the silver medal winning Australian women’s 4x200m freestyle relay team.

Sacha Downing picked up silver with an excellent swim in the women’s 800m free, whilst also finishing fifth, in the women’s open water 10km event.

The open water proved fruitful for the competing WAIS contingent, with Downing’s fellow WA athlete Grace Hull touching home in second place for silver on the final day of competition.

At just 15 years of age, Hull said she was surprised with the medal, but knew she’d had a solid preparation leading into the trip.

“My training has been much more open water focussed this year and I guess that’s paid off, Hull said.

It was a lot flatter out there than I expected and I just went for it, I thought I had finished fourth so to get onto the podium in second place and take home the silver medal is incredible.”

The teenager’s open water talent is obvious but Hull said she doesn’t want to turn her back on the pool just yet.

“I’m still quite young so I think I’ll keep my options open and train for both pool and open water and just see where it takes me.”

Rounding out the WA medal performances, Damian Fyfe swam in the Australian men’s 4x200m freestyle relay team, with the Aussie boys finishing third to receive bronze.

In the men’s senior open water 10km event, WAIS athlete Rhys Mainstone finished sixth. Australian Jarrod Poort swam home second, whilst West Australian athlete Simon Huitenga in fourth.