By Brian Hoepper
Four Noosa Masters swimmers returned recently from Brisbane, displaying their age-group medals won at the intensely competitive Brisbane Southside swim meet. But their triumph was overshadowed by an outstanding feat of swimming prowess by four extraordinary women. With a combined age of 320 years, the foursome smashed the world record for the 4×100 metres freestyle relay by a staggering 25.10 seconds! The Miami Masters members averaged 1 minute 40 seconds for their 100 metre stages, with the eldest – Denise Roberston (86) swimming 1:36.87 – a time that would be the envy of many swimmers half her age.
The Southside meet, swum at the impressive State Aquatic Centre at Chandler, attracted a record 265 swimmers from 32 clubs. In that field of 32, the Noosa team of 19 swimmers placed a very creditable fourth in the total points score. It’s clear that the COVID disruption of 2020 hasn’t dampened the enthusiasm or the performance of swimmers around the state. At Chandler, alongside the world record, there were 17 national records and 39 state records broken in a whirlwind succession of superb swims.
Noosa Masters, buoyed also by their excellent performances at the recent Great Barrier Reef Games in Cairns, now have their eyes set keenly on upcoming meets in Bundaberg, Brisbane North and their own Noosa meet on 18th September.
