Swimming: Scott sets gold standard

Kwinana Swimming Club returned from the WA short course titles at Challenge Stadium on July 15 with a swag of medals and personal best times for most of its members.

But the standout in the team was Nicole Scott, 15, of Casuarina, who won two gold medals, five silver and a bronze in the special category for swimmers with a disability.

The Maranatha Christian School student has been swimming competitively for just three years, but already she has her sights firmly fixed on the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

But for now, she hopes to do well in the time trials next month to qualify for the national championships in Canberra in October. She has already bettered most of the qualifying times required.

Scott, who has a mild form of cerebral palsy and competes in the S9 category,won the 200m individual medley and 400m freestyle at the three-day championships.

Her mother and Kwinana SC secretary, Noeline Scott, said all other swimmers in the team swam in able-bodied events and most returned with a personal best, some beating their previous best marks by up to five seconds.

Mrs Scott said more swimmers qualified for this year’s event than in recent years — a testament to the Swimstrong Program which has been in place for the past year, the determined children and dedicated coaches.

All were aged between eight and 16 and trained throughout the winter under the guidance of Taku Korogi and Ryan Whidatt, she said.