Pair win medals at US competition

Rockingham swimming sensations Holly Barratt and Tommy Sucipto have returned from a highly successful campaign at the US Open Championships in August.

The duo travelled to the University of Minnesota where they competed against some of the best swimmers from around the world.

Barratt swam strongly, winning a gold medal in her specialty event, the 100m backstroke, and recorded a personal best time in the process.

Sucipto brought home a bronze medal in the 100m breaststroke and was part of the gold-medal-winning 4x100m medley.

“It was a good end-of-season meet for swimmers who didn’t make the Olympics,” Barratt said.

“We had a small Australian team there and just used it as a chance to swim our fastest on a big stage.”

After conquering the US, Barratt continued her good form when she competed in the European leg of the FINA World Cup Series.

The series consists of nine events in iconic locations across the world and swimmers can compete for a share in US$2,178,000 prize money.

Swimming WA performance and development manager Carolyn Morrison said Barratt and Sucipto were true ambassadors for the sport of swimming.

“It’s very easy to only focus on high-profile, inter-sport events like the Olympic Games, and this is a fantastic reminder that we have many Western Australian swimmers performing on the international stage,” she said.

“As someone who continues to swim in international competitions in her late 20s, Holly Barratt is an inspirational swimmer for many of our age group athletes and she shows that there is no age limit to international competition.

“Congratulations to both Holly and Tommy on their continued strong performances at a local, national and international level and to the Rockingham Swimming Club for showcasing the opportunities and results that come from club swimming.”