Records that had been on the books for up to four decades were toppled at The Armidale School’s senior swimming championships last month, with Clay Nixon making it a clean sweep of all five for his age group, including one set by his coach, back in 1985.
In what was to set a powerful display of swimming over the carnival held at the TAS indoor 25m pool, Clay clocked 1:05:28 in the 100m freestyle, taking more than half a second off the previous best time set in 1996. His next foray, the 50m freestyle, finished in 28:88, shaving more than a second off the 30.29 set in 1984. In the 50m breaststroke he touched the wall in 38:03 (previous record 39:42, 2004) and in the butterfly a finish of 32:78 bettered by more than a second, the 34:09 on the books from 2018.
A personal highlight was shaving almost a second off the 50m backstroke record, clocking 33:47 compared to the 34:24 set by his coach, James Harwood, in 1985.
“After last year’s carnival I looked at all the times for the 13 years and put my eye there and then, to having a go at them this year, so I’m really relieved to have done that,” he said.
“Fly was probably the biggest challenge, but I was pretty happy to beat the old record so comfortably.”
Clay, who swims with the Armidale Alligators, trains at least three times a week and competed at both the Country Championships in Taree and a carnival in Coffs Harbour, prior to the TAS carnival.
This month he will be off the blocks at the North Coast Independent Schools Championships – the TAS pathway for Combined Independent Schools (CIS) representation – as well as the 50m butterfly at the Speedo Sprint Finals. A further goal will be making it to Australian All Schools.
“I placed at NSW All Schools last year, but they don’t take 12 years through unless you are faster than the 13s, so I’m really hoping to have a crack at that this year,” he said.
Coach James Harwood, who still holds the TAS 15 years boys 50m backstroke record from 1987, said he was proud of Clay’s efforts, “and I’m sure that one will go, in two years time.”
Also setting a record at the carnival was Alligators teammate Georgia Cadzow whose time of 1:09:97 in the 15-year girls 100m freestyle shaved a second off the record set in 2018.
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