EMERGING swimming talent Danika Garner has secured her place at the Australian Age Swimming Championships in April, but she hopes there is more to come.
The 14-year-old will head to back-to-back national events after beating the qualifying time in the Girls 14 50m butterfly at the weekend’s Renmark Open with a time of 30.29 seconds, half a second ahead of the minimum requirement.
The Mildura Swimming Club rising star still wants to secure qualifying times in the 100m fly, as well as the 50m and 100m freestyle in the coming weeks ahead of the Gold Coast event.
Garner competed at the age championships, the pinnacle of age swimming in Australia, last year in the same event, in the 13 girls age group with club mate Max Bell also qualifying.
Fellow Mildura athlete Sam Mills has already qualified for this year’s event after the 14-year-old swimmer bested qualifying times for the Boys 14 100m and 200m breaststroke in December.
Garner said last year was a great experience that she was looking to improve on.
“It was very exciting, it was really big with lots of swimmers from all over Australia and they were all very fast,” she said.
“The experience in the Gold Coast was an incredible one, and gave me the hunger to make it my goal to achieve it again for this year.”
Garner earned two gold medals at the Renmark Open as part of an outstanding carnival for the club, the first event involving new coach Rosie Lennox.
Mildura finished in third position overall out of 29 clubs, winning 35 medals – 11 gold, 15 silver and 13 bronze – and all 22 swimmers achieved at least one PB.
Max Bell brought the most medallions back home by winning four gold, a silver and two bronze, while Riley Garner, Joaquin Leal-Kaiser, Niamh McClaer (two), and Kayla Wright also finished first in respective events.
It was an anxious wait for Garner to find out if she reached the qualifying time, but it was an exciting result.
“I was so happy when I got my national time again and shows that you should never give up and keep striving to reach your goals,” she said.
“My coach Josh (Barila) who lives in Melbourne was the first person I rang, but we had two coaches with us on the meet who were as excited as I was.
“I appreciate everyone on the coaching team at the club and my teammates and training buddies for helping me reach the goal, as well as my gym coaches from Mildura Strength and Performance Centre.
Garner also took home the Junior Encouragement award at last week’s Northern Mallee Sports Star Awards after an outstanding 2023, all coming after a three-month hiatus due to a broken leg,
It was an accolade the Sunraysia Academy of Sport athlete wasn’t expecting.
Garner said she doesn’t look to far into her future but hopes swimming will be a big part of it.
” I love the social side of swimming as well as being able to set goals and work towards achieving these,” she said.
“I don’t really think too far ahead but I still hope I’m swimming as I get older.”
