By JARROD POTTER
BUTTERFLY swimmers in Australia will take notice of Cranbourne South’s Mitch Pratt following his successful Open championships.
Firstly Pratt recorded his fastest time in the 200-metre butterfly – touching in at 1.56.70 in the final.
That swim earned him ‘Victorian Male Swimmer’ of the meet – an accolade Pratt almost walked out on receiving.
“I was just leaving across the road and Sue comes running out saying ‘Mitch, Mitch you won an award’ so I came running back across the road and I won the Victorian Male Swimmer of the event,” Pratt said.
“It’s another good achievement for me.”
His last notable accomplishment from his 200m butterfly success was to earn himself the nod as the fastest ever Australian Age swimmer for the event edging out the previous mark set by Olympian Travis Nederpelt in 2004.
It also signed off his junior swimming career in the best way possible – earning Pratt the title of fastest 18-year-old to ever swim the event.
Pratt was amazed he touched in at 1.56.7 and didn’t expect to become Australia’s fastest junior for the event.
“Well I raced the 200 fly on the first night I went 1.58 in the heats,” Pratt said.
“I wanted to go a little quicker than that in the final, but didn’t expect to go so quick.
“It was a bit of a surprise – 1.56. – nice PB to go along with it and Ben (Hiddlestone – coach) was rapt.”
“An age-record for 18-year-old so I’m the fastest 18-year-old there’s ever been.”
Pratt was also a part of the men’s 4x100m medley relay team – with Tyone Dobrunz, Matson Lawson and Josh Beaver – that won a bronze medal.
“The rest of the weekend we all went well,” Pratt said. “Beav, Matto and Ty.
“Have to thank Ben and the boys – we all train pretty hard together so nothing would happen without these guys.”
Pratt’s coach Ben Hiddlestone said hard yards in training have paid the ultimate dividend for Pratt.
“He’s been doing some very good things in training – for us training is the competition and you have to be able to get to that level in training… to get to that level,” Hiddlestone said.
“Major players were all there – Grant Irving, Keiran Qaium and other top swimmers – but while some of them were at different phases with their training, his (Pratt’s) time of 1.56.7 you can’t ignore.
“He didn’t just win, and it was a slow time – it was a one-second personal best!”
Hiddlestone also highlighted the efforts of Kyle Young and Holly Brettle at the championships, with the latter returning to competition swimming after fracturing her leg at the World Universiade Games in Kazan, Russia.
