Angus and Jodiesha have resounding start to winter

PICK A MEDAL: Angus Blair and Jodiesha Kirkpatrick show medals they won at two meets where they dominated the competition in their age group. They next compete at the East Coast Championships in Napier next weekend. Picture by Liam Clayton

COMET 10-year-old swimming machines Angus Blair and Jodiesha Kirkpatrick have started the winter season with a ferocious roar that has been heard all across the Central North Island.

In the space of two swim meets, between them they scooped up 41 gold, five silver and two bronze medals.

The meets were the Sundevil Winters held in Hastings and the XLR8 Swim meet held in Taupo, with different sets of swimmers attending each. Both Angus and Jodiesha are getting a reputation for making hearts drop when home-town swimmers see them lining up on the blocks next to them.

Angus won his age group at both swim meets, also breaking the 10-year boys’ 50-metre backstroke club record, which had stood since 2012, and the XLR8 meet record for 50m backstroke.

Jodiesha won her age group at Sundevil Winters, but was pipped at the post due to a different set of rules at the XLR8 meet, despite winning five more gold medals than the eventual winner.

These two are young, committed and highly competitive. Those qualities are proving a dangerous combination to records and other swimmers’ hopes, and it will be exciting to follow their swimming careers over the next 12 months.

They will both line up at the East Coast Championships in Napier next weekend.

Sundevils meet

Angus Blair: 14 gold medals.

Tamsyn Brown: three-second personal best 50m breaststroke.

Amy Hill: two bronze. Lucia Kim: two bronze.

Jodiesha Kirkpatrick: nine gold, four silver.

Emma Le Goff: one silver, two bronze.

Shanice McNabb: one bronze.

Jasmine Sparks: 4sec pb 50m breaststroke.

XLR8 meet

Angus Blair: nine gold, three silver, meet record in 50m backstroke.

Jodiesha Kirkpatrick: eight gold, one silver, one bronze.