Swimming legends delight fans

I GREW up swimming, so it is great to see some of the top swimmers in Australia visiting and encouraging our young athletes.

The Toowoomba Flyers Swimming Club hosted a swim meet yesterday which attracted Olympians Cameron McEvoy and Madison Wilson and New Zealand’s Matthew Stanley.

I was pretty fortunate in my time to meet swimming greats Susie O’Neil and Ian Thorpe.

I met Susie when I competed at the Queensland State Championships in the late 90s.

While I swam terribly at that event, I still remember how lovely and generous she was with her time, happily signing our swimming caps.

It was lovely to see Cameron doing the same thing yesterday.

Ian actually swam in my school region when I was in Sydney.

It was just after the 1998 Commonwealth Games, so we all knew who he was and got quite a thrill to say we swam in the same pool as him.

I even put my tiny foot next to his.

I will always remember those opportunities and so will the kids yesterday, who got the same amazing experience.

It is great to see we have such good role models for our young sporting fans.

It is never too late to get out there and start swimming. It is such a great way to keep healthy and also learn a vital life skill.