Michael Pickett's 2020 vision

Michael Pickett. File picture

GISBORNE’S Michael Pickett has wasted no time in making his mark on the Australian swimming scene.

Pickett, a successful product of Gisborne’s Enterprise Cars Swim Team, won the 15 years boys’ 50 metres freestyle and 50m butterfly titles at the Queensland Sprint Championships in Brisbane at the weekend.

On his way to victory, he set unofficial New Zealand age group records in both events while the freestyle performance included breaking the Queensland all-comers 15yrs age group record held by 2016 Rio Olympics 100m freestyle gold medallist Kyle Chalmers.

“The times have still to be ratified but we’ve had a message from High Performance Swimming New Zealand, and we’re confident they will be,” said Pickett’s father Fletcher, who missed his son’s stunning debut for the powerful St Peters Western Swimming Club (SPW).

“I was over there last week but we’ve watched Michael swim before,” said Fletcher. “The main thing was to make sure he was settling in.

“Michael’s boarding at St Peters Lutheran College in Brisbane and loving living and competing in Australia.

“Anna (McVey, Michael’s mum) went over to help him settle in initially and then I went over to make sure he was OK. We needn’t have worried.

“He’s doing seven swim sessions each week and three one-hour gym sessions. He’s training with Olympians and even though the training is brutal, he’s thriving.

“He wants to make the 2020 Tokyo Olympics when he will be 18. We think he has the ability and this gives him every chance to see if he can make it. If he doesn’t make it, at least we’ll know he tried. It’s not professional in the sense of money but it’s a totally professional set-up.”

Pickett, now coached by former New Zealand swim coach John Gatfield — the youngest New Zealand male to swim the Cook Strait (13) — set the NZ age group 50 free record in the heats. His 23.21 seconds lowered Orinoco Fa-amausili-Banse-Prince’s 23.55 set in August 2006.

It also broke Chalmers’ Queensland all-comers 15yrs age group record

Pickett went on to win the final in 23.37 — seven-tenths of a second ahead of the second-placed finalist.

Butterfly finalLater in the session, Pickett won the 50m butterfly final in 25.60, which eclipsed the NZ age group record of 25.91 set by Ikko Shibuya in April of last year.

When both records are ratified, Pickett will hold eight New Zealand long-course age group records to go along with his five short-course NZ records.

He also has over 50 Hawke’s Bay-Poverty Bay short and long-course records.

Pickett caught the eye of SPW coaches last year at the Australian age group champs in Brisbane.

He won silver in the 14 years boys’ 100m free, breaking his own New Zealand and Hawke’s Bay-Poverty Bay age group long-course records in his heat and lowering the time in the final.

He also won bronze in the 100m fly.

“SPW coaches who are employed at the college approached us,” said his father.

“We had a month to decide and so far it’s been a life-changing decision.

“Obviously the family misses him but we’re excited for him.”