Region's golden day at state titles

Published 5:00pm 18 October 2022

Words by Nick Crockford

Pictured at state open water titles: From left - Rylee Smith, Lily Smith, Lucas Want and Barry Pope

Swimmers from the Moreton Bay Region have struck gold, silver and bronze at the Queensland Open Water Championships.

Rylee Smith (Redcliffe Leagues SC) and Lily Smith (Grace Swimming) both became state champions at Coolum Ski Park on Saturday.

While Barry Pope and Lucas Want (both Southern Cross SC) won silver and bronze medals respectively at the Sunshine Coast venue.

Rylee Smith touches first in the 5km at Coolum on Saturday.

Rylee Smith produced a stunning 5km debut in the 13 Years Girls event, winning in 1 hour 2 minutes 48 seconds - 1 minute 40 seconds ahead of the runner-up.

It comes weeks after the North Lakes resident became the Brisbane Open Water champion, for a second year, over 2.5km and earns a place at January's national titles in West Australia.

Lily Smith is the Queensland 17 Years Girls champion after clocking 1 hours 2 minutes 4.76 seconds to win the 5km title.

Lucas Want, left and Barry Pope and with Lori Chaplin, Southern Cross member and Olympic swimming official.

She adds it to the Brisbane Open Water bronze medal she won, also over 5kms.

Barry Pope and Lucas Want, coached by Jayden Hadler and Yvonne Busch, of Ripple Swim, made medal-winning debuts in open water championships

Lucas won bronze in the 15 Years and Over 2.5km, clocking 31 minutes 4.76 seconds – more than two-and-a-half minutes faster than his entry time and less than two seconds off silver.

Barry Pope, in the 14 Years 2.5km, won a silver medal in 31:56.39 minutes, almost 2 minutes 50 seconds faster than his entry time.

Grace Swimming's Josh Mandryk, 13, clocked a national time of 1:08:30.93 for sixth in the Men’s Open 5km Samuel Baker, 14, did the same with 1:06:59.65 for 11^th in the same event.

Alia Shaw (1:04:44.08) and Olivia Smith (1:09:06.80), both aged 14, had national times when finishing sixth and 14^th respectively in the Women’s 14 Years 5km.

Maddison-Rose Coulson, 16, was 13^th in the 15 Years and Over 5km in 1:15:00.9 and Ben Jimmieson, 25, was 11^th in the Men’s Open 10km with 2 hours12 minutes 27.81 seconds.

Samantha Brown, 14, was 19^th in the 14 Years 5km in 1:14:13.77 and Henry Smith, 12, clocked 41 minutes 14.52 seconds for 17^th in the Men’s 12-13 Years 2.5km event.