Courtesy: Swimming Australia
Olympic and Paralympic medallists Kaylee McKeown, Tim Hodge and Moesha Johnson capped off their extraordinary 2024 campaigns with the highest gongs at at this time’s Swimming Australia Awards at Howard Smith Wharves in Brisbane.
In entrance of virtually 300 company, the trio affirmed their positions as premier athletes on the worldwide stage claiming the Olympic, Paralympic and Open Water Program Swimmer of the Yr Awards.
It was an historic Olympic marketing campaign for McKeown, Australia’s Closing Ceremony flagbearer, who turned the primary Australian to win 4 particular person Olympic gold medals after triumphing within the ladies’s 200m backstroke and in doing so, surpassed the likes of swimming greats Ian Thorpe, Daybreak Fraser and teammate Emma McKeon.
McKeown can be the primary swimmer to efficiently defend the 100m and 200m backstroke titles in Olympic historical past and completed her Paris marketing campaign with 5 medals in complete – two gold (100m and 200m backstroke), one silver (4x100m ladies’s medley relay) and two bronze (4x100m blended medley relay, 200 IM).
The 23-year-old put the world on discover in October when she broke the ladies’s 50m backstroke world document in Budapest with a time of 26.86 seconds – on the time, this world document cemented McKeown as the primary individual to carry the world document within the 50m, 100m, and 200m backstroke long-course occasions.
Becoming a member of McKeown on stage was Open Water Program Swimmer of the Yr, Johnson and Paralympic Program Swimmer of the Yr, Hodge.
Johnson, 26, gained silver at her debut Video games within the ladies’s 10km marathon swim and was the one Dolphin to compete at La Protection Area (1500m) and the River Seine (Open Water).
The 1500m specialist turned open water swimmer, who has based mostly herself in Germany to coach alongside the dominant German open water swimmers together with Florian Wellbrock, has loved an distinctive 12 months of outcomes.
However it was within the uneven waters of Port Doha (Qatar) that the 26-year-old emerged bruised and battered to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
Johnson’s combating fourth place end in a frantic finale to the Olympic qualifying 10km marathon cemented her Olympic spot and he or she was additionally a part of the blended 4x1500m relay workforce that gained gold on the 2024 World Championships in Doha and bronze on the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka.
Three-time Paralympian Tim Hodge – incomes the title of Iron Man in Paris with the busiest program of all Dolphins – claimed his maiden particular person Paralympic gold (males’s 200m particular person medley SM9) in La Protection Area, together with one other gold within the blended 4x100m medley 34pt relay and a silver medal within the males’s 100m butterfly S9.
Hodge, 23, has been in a category of his personal since successful back-to-back world championships in 2022, and he was the favorite to win the gold within the 200m IM – which he did in a Paralympic document time – after breaking the world document at Trials in June.
Swimming Australia CEO Rob Woodhouse congratulated the star trio on their unbelievable achievements, and on the Dolphins’ profitable Olympic and Paralympic campaigns.
“We’re extremely pleased with Kaylee, Moesha and Tim – they’ve withstood the pressures of worldwide sport at its fiercest, however it’s not solely how they completed on the rostrum however how they competed.”
“We’re so very lucky to have such nice ambassadors for our sport that signify our values of braveness, unity and excellence – and an Olympic and Paralympic marketing campaign is the sternest check you may face as an athlete.
“I’m not certain perfection is attainable, but when we chase perfection we catch excellence and these three are among the many highest.
“The Dolphins have had an unbelievable yr of success; for the Olympic workforce – it was the closest we’ve come to matching the People in 68 years, going one higher than Tokyo, the place two gold medals separated us from the USA – and we had our greatest efficiency in Open Water.
“And for our Paralympic workforce, each single male athlete gained a medal and we completed a terrific seventh in what’s shaping as a formidable workforce forward of LA – the place planning has already began.
“Our Dolphins proceed to set the usual and in doing so, conjures up the subsequent era. Right now is a becoming celebration of what our athletes – and excessive efficiency packages – have achieved.
“And we couldn’t do that with out the assist of the Australian Authorities. We’re very grateful for his or her continued assist and on behalf of Swimming Australia, our athletes and coaches, I lengthen our honest because of the Prime Minister and Minister Wells for recognising the worth of investing in Excessive Efficiency sport and for backing our Paris marketing campaign and past.”
Dean Boxall gained Olympic Coach of the Yr for the second time in a row whereas John Rogers was awarded Open Water Coach of the Yr and Misha Payne gained Paralympic Coach of the Yr.
Chris Mooney gained Nationwide Age Coach of the Yr and Youth Coach of the Yr for his work with the Junior Dolphins.
Paralympic debutant Callum Simpson, 17, cleaned up two awards – the Flipper’s Paralympic Program Athlete of the Yr and the AIS Discovery of the Yr following his spectacular achievements in Paris.
The Flipper’s Olympic Open Water Program Athlete of the Yr went to Chloe Brodrick. Milla Jansen was awarded the Flipper’s Olympic Program Athlete of Yr after her standout efficiency on the 2024 Junior Pan Pacific Championships.
In different awards, Rose Purcell gained Pho3nix Basis JX Swimmer of the Yr. The Roger Smith Technical Official of the Yr was awarded to Darren McLachlan OAM.
Membership of the Yr went to Sydney based mostly Lane Cove Swim Membership and Native Legend of the Yr was awarded to Ariel Darley from Warringah Aquatic Swim Membership.
Paralympian Emily Beecroft was nominated by her fellow Dolphin teammates for the Swimmers’ Swimmer award. Beecroft gained gold as a part of the blended 4x100m medley relay 34pt workforce in Paris and a person bronze within the ladies’s 100m butterfly S9.
2024 SWIMMING AUSTRALIA AWARD WINNERS
Olympic Program Swimmer of the Yr
Paralympic Program Swimmer of the Yr
Open Water Program Swimmer of the Yr
AIS Discovery of the Yr
Olympic Program Coach of the Yr
Paralympic Program Coach of the Yr
Open Water Program Coach of the Yr
Nationwide Age Coach of the Yr
Youth Coach of the Yr
Flipper Athlete of the Yr (Olympic Program)
Flipper Athlete of the Yr (Olympic Open Water Program)
Flipper Athlete of the Yr (Paralympic Program)
Pho3nix Basis JX Swimmer of the Yr
The Roger Smith Technical Official of the Yr
Membership of the Yr
Native Legend of the Yr
Corridor of Fame Inductees
Swimmers’ Swimmer
