From Perth To Sardinia, Australia’s Proud Open Water Traditions Continue At World Junior Championships

EYES ON THE PRIZE: Sam Thorpe will spearhead the Aussies to Sardinia for the Junior Open Water Worlds. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photography (Wade's Photos)

From Perth To Sardinia, Australia’s Proud Open Water Traditions Continue At World Junior Championships

A team of eight young Australians with their eyes on the Olympics prize will continue a long and proud tradition when they line up in this year’s World Aquatics Junior Open Water Swimming Championships in Italy.

Swimming Australia has named a team of four men and four women for the three-day world titles in Alghero, Sardinia from September 6-8.

BUOYED: Sam Thorpe (St Peters Western) displays the effortless style that saw him win the Australian Age 10km. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photography (Wade’s Photos)

The four men Samuel Thorpe ( St Peters Western, QLD), Xavier Collins (Westside Christchurch, WA) Lucas Fackerell (Breakers, WA) and Luke Higgs Warringah, NSW) and four women Sienna Deurloo (Toowoomba Grammar, QLD), Daisy Quinn (Sunshine Coast Grammar, QLD), Emily Broun (Rackley Centenary, QLD) and Chloe Brodrick (Ginninderra, ACT) will join a field of more than 200 athletes aged between 14-19 years from 35 countries on the road towards the 2028 and 2032 Olympics.

Australia’s success in FINA (World Aquatics) dates back to the first official World Championships over 25km in Perth’s jellyfish infested Swan River in 1991 which saw Shelley Taylor-Smith emerge from a five-hour ordeal to claim the inaugural women’s world title and David O’Brien the hard-fought bronze in the men’s event.

Open Water Marathon has come a long way since with Taylor-Smith proudly leading the charge for its Olympic inclusion in Beijing in 2008.

Now some three decades on the 2024 Australian junior team is on its own Olympic pathway, emerging from four States and territories from Toowoomba, the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane in Queensland to Warringah on the northern beaches in NSW, Ginninderra in the Nation’s capital in the ACT and an Taylor-Smith’s open water stronghold in Perth, WA following the record-breaking Australian Championships that concluded last week in Busselton, WA.

Samuel Thorpe follows his older brother onto the international stage, with Robert Thorpe lining up this week to represent Australia in the World Aquatics 5km event in Doha.

Just 0.31 separated Samuel and Xavier Collins in the 18-19 Years National title after an enthralling 10km battle.

World Junior head coach Mel Tantrum was excited to watch future stars of the sport put their hands up for selection.

“At 18, Sam and Xavier are at the younger end of this (18-19 years) age group but they’ll be competitive against the Italian, French, German and US athletes,” Tantrum said.

“There was only a narrow margin between these two at Nationals so they’ll be pushing each other and I’m sure Sam would like to get one up on Rob (his brother) who finished eighth at last World Juniors in Seychelles in 2022.

“Emily and Sienna had tougher conditions in Busselton, when the wind and swell picked up, and now they have eight months to perfect their open water skills.

“That said, they’ve both got great backgrounds in pool swimming, and you can expect the water in Italy to be flat and fast.”

“With Luke Higgs, Lucas Fackerell, Daisy Quinn and Chloe Brodrick who went 1-2 in the boys’ and girls’ 16-17 years 7.5km at Nationals you are definitely looking at the next wave of athletes who will be in the frame for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.

Australian Swim Team, 2024 Open Water Junior World Championships, Alghero, Sardinia September 6-8, 2024:

MALE:

Samuel Thorpe

Club: St Peters Western, QLD

Age: 18

Coach: Cameron Gledhill

Event: 10km

Xavier Collins

Club: Westside Christchurch, WA

Age: 18

Coach: Jon Harrison

Event: 10km

Luke Higgs

Club: Warringah, NSW

Age: 16

Coach: Angelo Basalo

Event: 7.5km

Lucas Fackerell

Club: Breakers, WA

Age: 17

Coach: Harry Clark

Event: 7.5km

FEMALE:

Emily Broun

Club: Rackley Centenary, QLD

Age: 19

Coach: Tim Dilger

Event: 10km

Sienna Deurloo

Club: Toowoomba Grammar, QLD

Age: 19

Coach: Jason Cooper

Event: 10km

Daisy Quinn

Club: Sunshine Coast Grammar, QLD

Age: 17

Coach: Luke Stafford

Event: 7.5km

Chloe Brodrick (Ginninderra, ACT)

Age: 17

Coach: Steve Meredith

Event: 7.5km

STAFF

Team Leader / Head Coach: Mel Tantrum (WA)

Manager: Vicki Nagyova (QLD)

TEAM COACHES

Cameron Gledhill (St Peters Western, QLD)

Luke Stafford (Sunshine Coast Grammar, QLD)

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