Event Preview of the 2023 Hancock Prospecting Queensland Championships
A team of 30 National Age Programme athletes have arrived in Brisbane ahead of the 2023 Hancock Prospecting Queensland Championships being held from Saturday 9 – Friday 15 December.
These athletes have qualified for the National Age Programme over the past 12 months, starting as early as December last year and then periodically at specific meets throughout the year.
The Queensland Championships are regarded as one of the most challenging age group swimming competitions in the world, with this competition providing the squad a solid racing opportunity. The swimmers will have to be on top of their game in the heats and manage the soaring Brisbane temperatures to progress through to finals where only two visitors can qualify. With Japan and Singapore both sending some of their top age group swimmers, the team will be up against some fierce competition over the course of the seven day meet.
The size of the National Age Programme team heading to this meet has doubled since last year with over 35 swimmers achieving the gold and silver standards across both the Olympic and Paralympic Pathway. This is the first year that Paralympic Pathway swimmers will travel with the team, and it also doubles as an opportunity to achieve important world rankings ahead of the 2024 Paralympics nomination period finishing at the end of January. This is a great opportunity for Aquablacks Gaby Smith (Vikings) and Lili-Fox Mason (Wharenui) as they aspire to qualify for Paris.
The National Age Programme team hosts a wealth of swimmers who already have international racing experience. Gaby Smith and Lili-Fox Mason will be able to help their teammates travelling overseas for the first time by drawing upon their multiple competitions abroad in 2023, including two Para Swimming World Cups and the Para Swimming World Championships in Manchester.
From the Olympic Pathway, there is also a wealth of international junior experience with six out of the seven swimmers from the 2023 World Juniors team who competed in Israel earlier in the year joining up with 2023 Youth Commonwealth Games team members.
Coaches from both teams are again working with these athletes to bring out the best results and experience for the week. Coast Swim Club’s John Gatfield leads the team and is supported by Todd Mason (Vikings), Emma Mortiboy (Ice Breaker Aquatics) and Mariano Nani (Aquabladz New Plymouth). Emma Smith (Aquagym) has been provided the development opportunity to support in a Paralympic Coach Development role.
The team will be led by Simon Mayne (Paralympic Programme Lead) and supported by Team Managers Hannah Cartman and Amber Piggott.
Simon Mayne is looking forward to seeing the team race in Queensland.
"I'm optmistic it's going to be a good week of racing with a great opportunity for our swimmers to match up against some of the best age groupers in the world as part of their development."
You can find all of the information for the 2023 Hancock Prospecting Queensland Championships including psych sheets, results, tickets and livestream below.
National Age Programme Team
Swimmer | Club |
Eva Allan | Club 37 |
Leo Arrowsmith | United |
Elwin Bao | North Shore |
Brooke Bennett | Vikings |
Amelia Bray | TBSS Central City |
Max Cave | Aquabladz New Plymouth |
Isabella Gibson | Club 37 |
Hamish Giddens | Jasi |
Jasper Cornish | Coast |
Milan Glintmeyer | Kiwi West Aquatics/Coast |
Larn Hamblyn-Ough | Coast |
Orlando Hardie | Hamilton Aquatics |
Finn Harland | Capital/Coast |
James Haydon | Club 37 |
Jacob Humphries | North Shore |
Harrison James | Vikings |
Jacob Story | Mt Eden |
Harrison Klouwens | TBSS Central City |
Nemanya Markovich | Roskill |
Lili-Fox Mason | Wharenui |
Anahira McCutcheon | TBSS Central City |
Charlotte Murphy | Aquagym |
Zoe Pedersen | Coast |
Liv Peebles | TBSS Central City |
Jack Potier | Coast |
Gaby Smith | Vikings |
Asher Smith-Franklin | North Shore |
Brendan Visser | Coast |
Mason Wang | United |
Monique Wieruszowski | North Shore |
Staff | Club |
John Gatfield | Coast |
Todd Mason | Vikings |
Emma Mortiboy | Ice Breaker Aquatics |
Mariano Nani Garcia | Aquabladz New Plymouth |
Emma Smith | Aquagym |
Simon Mayne | Swimming NZ |
Hannah Cartman | Swimming NZ |
Amber Piggott | Swimming NZ |
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