Macey makes a golden splash in national swimming championships
Year 9 student, Macey, has recently been making a big splash!
HRS’s star swimmer, Macey (Year 9), got a taste of what it’s like to compete at Olympic level when she competed at the Australian Olympic Swimming Trials in Brisbane recently.
The trials were a chance for some of the country’s brightest and best swimmers to compete for a spot in the national ‘Dolphins’ team heading to the Olympics in Paris next month.
The action in the pool throughout the event was fast paced and energetic and it gave 14-year-old Macey an opportunity to discover exactly what it will take to become part of an elite Olympic team in the future.
At her first Olympic trials Macey qualified and competed in 4 events: 50m & 100m Freestyle and 100m & 200m Backstroke, with her best efforts placing her 32nd and 33rd respectively in the country in the 200m and 100m Backstroke.
With these trials behind her, Macey is back in the pool with her heart and mind set on swimming for Australia in the next Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
In a typical week, Macey completes six gruelling two-hour early morning swim sessions and builds her strength and flexibility at the gym.
Earlier in the year at the 2024 Australian Age Swimming Championships, Macey swam away with five gold medals and a silver medal. She also set four new Northern Territory swimming records.
In the 14-year-old division, Macey won gold and the national titles in: 50m Freestyle, 100m Freestyle, 50m Backstroke, 100m Backstroke and 200m Backstroke. She won silver in the 50m Butterfly – and was only 0.07 seconds off winning another gold medal to add to her tally.
“I’m proud of my achievements so far — they keep me motivated to train. My long-term goal is to make it to the Olympics and to represent my country”Macey (Year 9)
Macey, who was born in Perth, began learning to swim when she was two years old. When her family moved to Darwin in 2016, she joined Darwin Swimming Club who are incredibly proud of what she has achieved in the water so far.
“I started competing at the age of 8 and the following year, in 2019, I took part in my first national swimming competition. I was selected as the youngest member of the School Sport NT team and travelled to Melbourne to compete. I made my first final in the 50m Backstroke and then won the 4x50m Handicapped Relay with three other members of the team,” says Macey.
Macey joined Haileybury Rendall School in Year 7 and juggles her rigorous training regimen with her school commitments. Her day begins at 5.30 am in the pool and she then catches the bus to HRS. On most days, once classes are done, she heads to the pool again for another 2.5 hours of training.
“I get home around 7.00 pm, eat dinner, do my homework, wind down and I’m in bed at 10.00 pm,” she says.
Each week, Macey swims 30 to 35 kilometres but she ensures she makes time in her busy schedule to relax away from the pool.
“I like hanging out with my friends – training and competition can become all-consuming and my friends help me take my mind off that,” she says.
“But I love competing and enjoy the thrill of pushing my limits and never knowing what will happen. It’s a great feeling to finish a race and to know you’ve achieved what you wanted to achieve. Swimming gives me so many opportunities to travel, to make new friends, and it helps me become the best version of myself.”
