TOP TALENT POOL HAS WINNING DOWN TO FINE ART
A GOLD Coast synchronised swimming team has dominated at a national tournament for the second time in a row.
The Gold Coast Mermaids Synchronised Swimming Club took 25 athletes to the Hancock Prospecting Synchronised Swimming Australia Open and Age Group Championships in Sydney two weeks ago, coming away with 10 golds, six silvers, three bronzes and one fourth.
The club, now in its tenth year, also took home the Australian Club Trophy for the second time.
President Marina Kholod said she was very proud of her charges, with athletes training anywhere from 12 to 25 hours a week, six days a week.
“Since we started the club, we were focused on high performance,” Ms Kholod said.
“We have five, six-yearolds – they already have the idea to represent Australia overseas. The more time and effort they put into training, the more they get in results and medals.”
But the highly driven athletes aren’t stopping there – four swimmers who train at the Gold Coast club are on the Australian team of 12 currently competing in the Artistic Swimming World Series in Japan, while a junior team is set to head to Slovakia in the coming months for another international competition.
The Mermaids’ senior team will also compete at the World Championships in South Korea in July, which could also see them qualifying for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.