Lily Young after winning the 25-metre short course event at the Australian Short Course Championships. Photo: Billy Nicholson.
Lily Young created history as she touched the wall in first place in the women’s open 25-metre freestyle dash at the Australian Short Course titles in Melbourne in October.
For the first time, the 25-metre event was included in the National Short Course Swimming program, with Lily becoming the inaugural winner in a time of 11.58 seconds, surprising many, including herself.
“I went into the meet hoping to make a final, maybe sneak a medal. I remember thinking, ‘Wait… did that just happen?’ It gave me a huge confidence boost and made me believe I could compete with the best.”
Her coach, Billy Nicholson, was quietly confident before the race.
Lily Young with her Cruiz coach, Billy Nicholson. Photo: Supplied.
“I was expecting her to do well, but it was hard to know how fast everyone was going to swim the 25-metre event due to it being contested for the first time. Swimmers had to use their 50-metre personal best to enter. I was confident once she qualified and ranked first for the final that she was going to give it a good crack. Her speed was there during the warm-up prior to the race.”
Olympic champion Cameron McEvoy took out the men’s 25-metre event in a time of 9.36 seconds. In contrast to Lily, McEvoy is in the twilight of his career at the age of 31.
25 metre short course champions, Cameron McEvoy and Lily Young. Photo: Billy Nicholson.
For Lily, who started swimming to ensure she was safe in the water before competitively swimming at nine years of age, it may be an entrée to what lies ahead.
“I want to represent Australia—World Junior Championships, Commonwealth Games, and ultimately the Olympics.”
Lily, who swims for the Civic Pool-based Cruiz Club, had already blazed a trail prior to her success in Melbourne with a number of Country and NSW State records.
Motivation, it would seem, is not an issue.
“There’s always something to work on — a faster start, a better turn, a stronger finish. I love pushing my limits and seeing how far I can go.”
It is a well-known adage that it takes a village to get a young swimmer to this point. Lily has parental support and a coach who understands her.
Training and expectations are approached holistically. Billy Nicholson, himself a former competitive swimmer with the Wagga Swim Club, is fully committed to the swim-life balance.
He says, “I wouldn’t say I hold her back, but my focus is to ensure she is enjoying swimming so that she can remain in the sport long term. I allow all swimmers in our squad, particularly those in high school, to miss sessions or modify their training times when required to balance school and other commitments, so swimming does not become all-consuming.
“Anytime I increase training leading into major competitions, I always include a mix of quality workouts along with recovery and fun activities within the week to limit injuries and/or overtraining”.
It would appear that philosophy is very much part of Lily’s psyche.
“I love the discipline it teaches, the friendships I’ve made, and the racing. Swimming has shaped who I am – and I couldn’t imagine not swimming.”
