Swimming: Tauranga makes waves on national stage

Greerton Swimming Club's Libby Bradley won five medals at the New Zealand Short Course Swimming Champs. Photo / Joel Ford

Tauranga swimmers continue to make a splash on the national stage.

At last week's NZ Short Course Swimming Champs held in Wellington, members of the Greerton and Otumoetai Swimming Clubs far exceeded their medal haul expectations.

The best performer was Katikati College student Libby Bradley, 14, who came home with two gold and three bronze medals.

Libby was also selected in the central zone team that competed the day after the national champs against the other three NZ zones and finished second.

The Greerton club member was amazed at how well she did as she went to Wellington hoping to just win one medal.

"I thought we could do that in the relay so to come home with three individual medals was really cool and then to top it off with two relay medals was good as well," Libby says.

Libby's individual medals came in the 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle events but she says the individual medley is her favourite. "The 50m is probably my favourite distance because it is the shortest and easiest.

"But I do like the 200 because they are between a sprint and a long-distance race."

Libby credits Greerton coach Tai Daniela with pushing her to continually set new goals and become a better swimmer.

"He believes in us and he knows what we can do and he knows our limits.

"Earlier in the season he told us if we won the relay at the champs he would shave his hair off.

"We ended up winning the relay so he really does know what we are capable of.

"And he did shave his hair off!"