McTernan rediscovers love for pool after dark time
MADDIE McTernan had “hit rock bottom” and found herself on the brink of turning away from a sport that had given her so much.
However, through all the trials and tribulations she endured on her return from Tokyo, the Gold Coast star has found a way to cement herself a place in history.
Fresh from winning five gold medals at the Oceania Asian Games, the Paralympic swimmer has revealed just how close she game to turning her back on the sport.
Having won a silver medal in the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay at the Paralympics last year, McTernan returned to the Glitter Strip in disarray.
She found her club’s swimming coach gone, and many of her teammates following. She left her new club in February on the back of what she described as a “disastrous” experience.
It led to a poor meet at the Victorian Open this year when her times and fitness went backwards.
But McTernan, who now swims out of All Saints, cast the challenges aside to win gold in the 50m backstroke, 100m freestyle, 50m freestyle, 200m backstroke and 4x100m freestyle relay.
“I have to give a big thank you to my coach Ken Sabotic for believing in me and finetuning my technique and increasing my aerobic fitness,” McTernan said.
“Ken gave me back my confidence, when I hit rock bottom at my disastrous Victorian Open and was ready to leave the sport. I now love swimming again and I have a great coach.”
Not to be outdone, Helensvale Swim club members Montana Atkinson and Samuel Gould held their heads high in their first swims for Australia.
Atkinson won a silver medal in the women’s 400m freestyle and a bronze in the mixed 4x50m medley relay.
Gould competed in the junior category, which does not award medals but instead uses a pointscoring system, and finished fifth overall.