Swift start for CQ at states

Article by Liam Emerton, courtesy of Swimming World

16.12.2025

Central Queensland has had a blistering start to the 2025 Hancock Prospecting Queensland Swimming Championships.

Beginning last Saturday, individuals from the Central Queensland Swimming Association have already picked up six gold, four silver and four bronze medals across the first two days.

The Championships began with club relays, where CQ nabbed a silver and a bronze.

Central Queensland’s 14-and-under team of Caribeae’s Saidee Whitcombe and Ashley Jones, Gladstone South’s Laylah Pimm and Boyne Tannum’s Abbey Tabone capture the second-place finish.

The CQ squad’s 15-and-over boys’ relay team of Gladstone South’s Ryan Asher and Bullets trio Kayden Gibson alongside Hayden and Liam Tabone then backed that performance up when they took out the bronze medal.

On Sunday the first of the individual events took over.

And it was a golden day for Rocky City’s Lachlan Kuss who captured a pair of gold medals.

The 18-year-old first took out the boys’ 200m butterfly before snapping up the boys’ 1500m freestyle gold medal later that day.

Clubmate Amelie Smith also had a brilliant start — capturing a 200m fly gold and an 800m freestyle silver.

Rocky City rising star Mackenzie Wyeth continued her fine form, picking up a silver in the 14-year girls’ 200m individual medley before producing a gold medal effort in the 100m butterfly.

Rocky City’s golden spree was rounded off by Cooper Love — who produced a first-place finish in the 17-year 1500m freestyle.

Kayden Gibson was the only non-Rocky City athlete to capture gold last Sunday, picking up the medal in his favoured 200m butterfly.

The only other silver medal on day two of the carnival was taken out by Annalise Matthews — who finished just behind Wyeth in the 14-year girls’ 100m fly.

Rounding off the podium finishes were Rocky City’s 12-year-old star Oliver Lau (200m free), Caribeae’s 15-year-old Levi Thomsen (400m IM) and Rocky City’s 13-year-old Isla Burridge (400IM) who all took home a bronze medal.

The top ten finishes from last weekend are as follows:

Gold medalists

14-year girls – 100 Butterfly: Mackenzie Wyeth

17–18-year girls – 200 Butterfly: Amelie Smith (17)

17–18-year boys – 200 Butterfly: Kayden Gibson (17)

17–18-year boys – 200 Butterfly: Lachlan Kuss (18)

17-and-Over boys – 1500 Freestyle: Cooper Love (17)

17-and-Over boys – 1500 Freestyle: Lachlan Kuss (18)

Silver medalists

14-year girls – 200 IM: Mackenzie Wyeth

14-year girls – 100 Butterfly: Annaliese Matthews

17-and-over girls – 800 Freestyle: Amelie Smith (17)

14-and-under girls’ medley relay team: Saidee Whitcome, Ashley Jones, Laylah Pimm and Abbey Tabone.

Bronze medalists

12-year boys – 200 Freestyle: Oliver Lau

13-year girls – 400 IM: Isla Burridge

15–16-year boys – 400 IM: Levi Thomsen (15)

15-and-over boys medley relay team: Ryan Asher, Kayden Gibson, Hayden Tabone and Liam Tabone.

4th Place Finishes

12-year boys – 200 Freestyle: Nathan Cullen

5th Place Finishes

14-year girls – 200 IM: Annaliese Matthews

8th Place Finishes

14-year girls – 200 IM: Ashley Jones

14-year girls – 100 Butterfly: Laylah Pimm

10th Place Finishes

15-year boys – 200 Backstroke: Liam Tabone

12-year girls – 200 Breaststroke: Rana Basnett