Forward January 2019 | Page 22

SPORT Hard work and commitment pays off in the pool for Emily Year 8 student Emily Nayler progressed rapidly through swimming competition ranks last year, taking home five gold medals at the Winter State Championships. Starting at the 2018 summer State competition where Emily took home two silver medals in the 100m and 200m breast stroke, her swimming has gone from strength to strength and Emily qualified to compete for WA at the Australian Age Swimming Championships in Sydney in October 2018. Emily competed in two finals at the Australian Age Swimming Championships in Sydney during April and came back ranked number 1 in WA for all the 13-year-old breaststroke events. As a result of these performances she was identified for the Swimming WA Performance Pathway Programs for 2018/19. At the recent Winter State Championships, Emily won five gold medals in 50m, 100m, 200m Breaststroke, 200m and 400m Individual Medley as well as a bronze with her team mates in a relay. As a result she was chosen to represent WA at the Australian Age Swimming Championships in Sydney in October. She competed in the 13-14 year old category, as a 13 year old, achieving personal bests in all of her races and finishing 7th in the 200m breaststroke, 14th in the 400m individual medley, 11th in the 50m breaststroke and 12th in the 100m breaststroke. Emily swam her first breaststroke race in her school swimming carnival at the age of 8. A member of her local swimming club suggested that she compete in the Dive and Try competition and she has loved swimming ever since. She has trained competitively for the past two and a half years with the Guildford Kalamunda Districts Swimming Club. Early starts are no problems for Emily, training seven times a week, including three dry land sessions. She also swims on Friday afternoons as part of her development sport for school. “I have a lot of self-discipline! My normal routine after school is training, dinner, homework and bed. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I know I have a 4.00am start, so I need to be very organised. I don’t have a lot of time on devices or watching TV during the week. When I have a weekend competition I have to prepare ahead and do that week’s homework, prepare for the week and swim. I know that to be successful I must work hard in swimming and at school.” Emily’s long term goal is to make the Australian team. Her short term goals include achieving top 5 at the Nationals for 100 or 200 breaststroke and qualifying for the Open Nationals. 22