Day 5 of the swimming at the World Aquatic Championships got underway with the Women’s 100 m Freestyle Heats. An event stacked heavily with Pacific island swimmers with no fewer than 6 representatives lined up.
Jhnayali Tokome-Garap, of Papua New Guinea had a taste of the pool conditions on the previous day when she joined her teammates to complete 4 x 100m Medley Relay. Today was a chance to go for real and aim for a personal best time. For the 16 year old junior, it was a day where she couldn’t quite break down that mark. She finished in a time of 1-01.54.
Not quite what the 5-time Oceania Championship medallist wanted in her first individual race of the week. Nevertheless, she fully realises the wider progress she is making and the importance of her training environment. She races out of Somerville House Aquatic Swim Club in Brisbane, and shares a coach with a 4 time Olympian.
‘It’s really a great club. I’m really grateful to be part of that club. My coach also coaches Cam McEvoy, so it’s quite amazing. Before leaving, I talked with a different coach at the club, because my head coach was abroad and he just told me to keep a good pace in the first 35 then build into my 50 and keep breathing my 4s on the way back. I don’t think it went quite to plan but it’s all good’
‘At least I couldn’t walk after.’ She smiled.
Jhnayali races again on Day 7 in the 50m freestyle and is looking, ‘just to hit a personal best in my 50, and do better than my past two races.’
Her experience from three different world championships alongside the coaching expertise available to her will no doubt, sooner rather than later, begin to threaten those personal bests.
–Ends–
Written by The Reporters’ Academy Photos by Andrea Schuster