Haileybury Waterlion Sam Nixon won three gold medals at the Victorian Short Course Age Swimming Championships on Sunday despite suffering from a fractured right leg.By Marc McGowan
WHAT would you be able to achieve with a fractured right leg?
If you were Haileybury Waterlion Sam Nixon, it would be plenty.
The 15-year-old claimed three gold medals at the Victorian Short Course Age Swimming Championships on Sunday despite the injury.
Nixon’s performance led a quality day-one display at the event from the Waterlions, who also scored gold with 17-year-old Laura Harney in the women’s 15-years-and-over 400-metre freestyle.
Harney has overcome two bouts of pneumonia this year.
Haileybury head coach Wayne Lawes lauded Nixon’s effort, which included victories in the men’s 15-year-old 50m and 200m freestyle and 100m backstroke, as his club stormed into fourth place overall.
“Sam fell down the stairs at the club about four weeks ago and he was finally X-rayed on Friday and he found out that his right leg had been fractured!” Lawes said.
“When he fell, he had slight concussion and he put two discs out in his lower back as well, but he swam straight through and didn’t even have a day off from that – he never complains.
“That’s a stand-out thing for me and is something pretty special from the kid.
“He’s only 15 and he swam pretty fast, and is still swimming this weekend (when the championships continue).”
The two gold medallists’ luck was typical of the club’s season, with Lawes revealing that many of his swimmers had battled illness, injury and outside commitments.
“It’s been a pretty hard winter for us, with sickness and things like that, and we’ve had more than our share of disruptions,” he said.
Two of the most promising athletes in the Waterlions’ stable, 17-year-old Roy Pearce – who Lawes predicted would have won a “bucket load” of medals – and 18-year-old Matt Dutchfield, were absent on the weekend due to ankle surgery and VCE studies respectively.
Other Waterlions to win medals were 12-year-old Tyson Lawes (bronze in the 200m freestyle), 13-year-old Cassandra Brooks (bronze in the 100m butterfly), 15-year-old Jon Hutchins (bronze in the 50m freestyle) and 16-year-old Ally Woodlock (bronze in the 200m individual medley).
Lawes believes his younger stars’ accomplishments stem from Haileybury’s focus being more on enjoyment than burning swimmers out with as many training sessions as possible.
“You don’t have to have them in the pool at 12 years old doing eight sessions a week … it’s about taking a long-term view rather than the kids today wanting instant success,” he said.
