Gunnedah swimming champion Banjo Fitzgerald has returned home a national finalist after competing against the best in the country at the School Sport Australia Swimming Championships in Ballarat last week.
The St Xavier’s Primary School student was off to a flying start in the 11 years boys 50m butterfly, placing fourth out of 20 swimmers in the heats with a blistering personal best time of 32.18 seconds.
The top 10 made it through to the final where he raced with determination and school pride to finish in sixth place overall.
In another stellar performance, the NSW country and state medallist also made it through to the top 10 finals in the 100m butterfly where he touched the wall in seventh place and dropped a massive five seconds to clock a cracking new best time of 1:14.56.
Banjo also swam the butterfly leg as part of the NSW team in the 4x50m medley relay which finished seventh, and the 4×50 freestyle relay that came eighth.
With Gunnedah swim club coach Colin Marley by his side and family cheering from the stands, it was a clean sweep of personal best times for Banjo after months of hard training in the pool for his second time on the national swimming stage.
St Xavier’s Primary School and Banjo’s Year 5 class also threw its support behind its star swimmer, sending messages of support and cheering him on from back home.
St Xavier’s sport coordinator Jessica Stevenson said, “This incredible achievement is a testament to his hard work and unwavering dedication, with countless early mornings and training sessions culminating in this remarkable success.
“To reach the national level is a truly remarkable accomplishment, placing him among the top swimmers in the country and making his school and whole community immensely proud.”