City of Orange Swim Club coach Tanya Chapman has acknowledged just how talented Francesca Chitukudza is for as long as she’s mentored the youngster, but has always said it’s her drive and will to win that really sets her apart and her effort at last week’s NSW Primary School Sports Association (PSSA) Swimming Championship is testament to that.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Representing Western and Orange Public School, the 11-year-old stunned the competition at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre, defying her initial ranking to qualify for the girls’ 11-13 years 200 metre individual medley final and then claim bronze.
“I was ranked 14th out of [37] going in and then I qualified for the final in fifth,” she smiled, having clocked 2.45.22 to do so.
From there, despite being one of the youngest in the top 10, she produced a scintillating effort in the final to shave almost five seconds off her qualifying time, touching the wall in 2.40.98 to claim bronze.
She was 3.05 seconds behind second-placed Abbey Senior (2.37.92), from Wagga, and another half-second behind Sydney’s Olivia Wunsch, who claimed the Geoff Falkenmire Shield in a time of 2.37.40.
Thanks to that result, she’ll don the sky blue of NSW at the School Sport Australia Swimming Championships at Tasmania in July.
“I didn’t expect to do that well, I found out (about NSW qualification) straight away. It was really exciting,” she said.
Chitukudza explained she’ll do the hard yards between now and July, in her words “lots and lots” of training, in a bid to push into national medal contention, although she did say she’ll just be happy if she swims a good time.
The fact her favourite stroke, butterfly, is the first leg of the medley puts the youngster in good stead.
Pushing to the front of the field in that opening 50 metres and then maintaining her spot through the backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle legs is the goal and if she happens to claim a medal, that’ll be a bonus.
“Honestly, I’d just like to swim a good time and go my hardest,” she said, ahead of her first appearance at the School Sport Australia championships.
“I’m a bit nervous, but more excited.”
There was a huge number of Orange’s other young guns that competed at the NSWPSSA Championships as well, plenty earning finals appearances and top 10 finishes as a result too.
The 2018 School Sport Australia Swimming Championships run from July 25 to 31 at Hobart’s Doone Kennedy Aquatic Centre.
Matt Findlay
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
