Medal haul for talented 12-year-old

Albany swimmer Tom Gawned has been making more than a splash lately.

The 12-year-old recently returned from the South Australian Long Course State Championships in Adelaide with 11 medals, including nine gold, and now has his sights set on the national championships in Brisbane in April.

Even more impressive was Tom’s individual ranking at the Adelaide meet.

The young swimming talent was third overall in the men’s rankings behind Olympians Travis Mahoney and Kyle Chalmers.

These results come off the back of a dominant performance at the WA Country Championships where he was named as one of the top performers at the meet after claiming a host of medals and breaking countless records.

Tom trains nine times a week, swimming up to 60km.

Throw in some early starts and it’s understandable he responds with “most of the time” when asked if he enjoys swimming.

The Albany swimmer said he had not expected to win as many races as he did in Adelaide.

“I thought I was going to do well but I didn’t think I would win that many medals.” he said.

Tom will head to the national meet with fellow Albany Swim Club member Caitlin Willi-ams, and says he has set some goals.

“I want to make most of the finals and maybe get a medal,” he said.

ASC finished 14th at the SA State Championships and will now begin to compete in several meets in the Great Southern.