Carlile Defends Australian Age Championship Club Pointscore With A 13-Year-Old “Young Gun” Winning Seven Gold
Sydney’s Carlile Swim Team has gone back-to-back with a hard fought defence of the coveted Australian Age Club Championship Pointscore on the Gold Coast.
The Carlile kids, swimming under the banner of one of Australian swimming’s most famous names, held off the determined efforts of fellow NSW powerhouse Knox Pymble with Queensland’s premier club St Peters Western third.
The Carlile name synonymous through its founding coaches Forbes and Ursula Carlile – two legends of Australian swimming.
After a lean period, the team has been surging its way back, targeting a 2032 push – their success healthy for the overall depth of swimming in NSW and Australia.
After eight days of helter-skelter racing, it was the 35-strong Carlile team, under the direction of head junior coach Danny Marshall who held on to take the title on 2421 points with Knox Pymble on 2,389and St Peters Western 2,272 – winning the trophy by 31 points – less than the total of one win (35 points)
Carlile winning 14 gold, 10 silver and 15 bronze medals, the team clocking 72 personal best times with Marshall ably assisted by team coaches Rubi Kun, Jodi Armstrong and Jeremy Lagonilla with Tamika Kosasih in charge of fitness and activation.
YOUNG GUN: Molly Young has plenty to smile about with her 2026 Australian Age gold medal haul. Photo Courtesy Dewlly Carr Swimming Australia
And it was a 13-year-old “Young gun” who swept all before her.
Molly Young, who learnt to swim at Carlile Swim Killarney Heights, tallied up a whopping 268 points for a major contribution.
Young swept the distance events from 200m, 400m, 800m to 1500m freestyle and claimed the 100, 200 butterfly double and the 400m individual medley in a non-top powerhouse showing.
After three days Molly had won three gold the 400m freestyle (4:19.94), 200m butterfly (2:28.64) and the 1500m freestyle (17:09.16) which saw Carlile well represented on the podium
HEART OF GOLD: Mia Hoo wins 200m backstroke gold. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr Swimming Australia
Teammate Mia Hoo (17:26.66) finished second, while Hannah Jamieson (17:34.28) was the first Aussie home in the 14 years’ 1500m with team-mate Laura Pettigrew (17:46.31) grabbing silver.
Hoo, swam a two-second PB to win the 13 years’ 200m backstroke in 2:20.87.
And later in the meet when Carlile’s breaststroke boys lit up the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre with medals of every colour, Molly won gold in the 400IM.
Molly led through the first two legs before being passed by a brilliant breaststroke leg from Rackley swimmer Hannah Fleming.
But there was no stopping Molly as she flew home in the freestyle to win by four seconds.
LET’S GO ANNA: Anna Munzarova caps her Australian Age with gold in the 50m breaststroke.Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
Anna Munzarova who came through the Carlile’s Otters program at their Ryde centre, produced a sensational swim to claim gold in the 13 years’ 50m breaststroke in 34.01 later winning a perfectly paced 200m breaststroke smashing her PB with a time of 2:39.38 to go with her silver in the 100m (1:14.56).
Munzarova continuing her great form, claiming bronze to Young in a PB in the 400IM.
In a reward for longevity and in his last Australian Age Championships, Carlile Swim Ryde teacher Ethan Cook fulfilled a dream.
The boy who learnt to swim at Carlile’s at Ryde centre, progressed into the club’s competitive team and is now teaching at the historic Cross Street pool.
Until night four of the meet Cook had never won an Australian Age medal.
But the 18-year-old showed what persistence and a commitment to continuous improvement can deliver.
WORTH THE WAIT: Ethan Cook wins his first medal and it’s, gold in his fina Australian Age meet. Photo Courtesy Carlile Swim Club.
Not only did he break through with a four-second PB for his first medal, it was the brightest colour of all and he returns home an Australian Champion.
Ethan’s time of 2:14.41 also qualifying him for a start in the June Commonwealth Games Trials at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre.
One of the most popular medals of the meet was a sterling silver from 13-year-old Henry McCarthywho shattered his personal best in the 1500m by a staggering 33 seconds.
While Reagan Cheng and his breaststroke buddies made the most of their opportunities on centre stage.
Reagan smashed his PB with a time of 1:02.55 to win gold in the 17 years’ 100m breaststroke with Harrison Tancred taking silver, also in a PB of 1:04.53
Minutes later Ethan Cook’s best time fell as well, backing up his gold in the 200m with bronze in the 100m 18 Years final in 1:03.14.
Young’s dominance prompted National Youth Coach Simon Cusack to get excited about the 13-14 years age group and the future.
“It’s a relief that our young swimmers have come out of the COVID years and seem unaffected,” said Cusack.
“The success of Molly Young (seven individual gold) and Corrimal’s Nash Hawkins (who broke Zac Stubblety-Cook’s 13-years 200m breaststroke record) in this age show that we have recovered.”
PARTING PIC………………
BACK TO BACK: Team Carlile all smiles on the Gold Coast.Photo Courtesy Carlile Swim Club.