In the swimmer shuffle that usually follows an Olympic Games, where athletes opt to kick-off the new quadrennial at a different club, location or under a new coach, Australian Brianna Throssell is making a move. 20-year-old Throssell has been training with Perth City Swimming Club, but has announced she will be shifting to UWA West Coast, based at HBF Stadium.
While at Perth City for the past 7 years, Throssell has risen through Australia’s age group ranks into the elite echelons, nabbing 4th place in the women’s 200m butterfly at last year’s FINA World Championships in Kazan.
Finishing 2nd in the event at the Australian National Championships this past April, Throssell snatched a spot on the 2016 Olympic roster in the women’s 200m butterfly. Western Australia’s Swimmer of the Year for 2015 and 2016, Throssell finished 8th in her specialty event in Rio.
Says Throssell of the amicable move, “I am a creature of habitat having been educated at Perth College for 13 years and a member of the Perth City Swimming Club for seven, so the decision to part ways with my coach Matt Magee hasn’t been made lightly.”
“I am very excited to announce that I will now be coached by high performance WAIS [Western Australian Institute of Sport] coach Mick Palfery. I am certainly looking forward to training with like-minded athletes and using world class facilities WAIS has to offer.”
WAIS runs two high performance swimming centres in the Perth metropolitan area, at HBF Stadium in Claremont and the northern high performance centres at HBF Arena in Joondalup and Craigie Leisure Centre.
“Perth City Swimming Club and Matt Magee have done an exceptional job in preparing Brianna for the Olympic Games,” said Swimming WA Chief Executive Officer Darren Beazley.
“We wish her the very best for her future at the WAIS High Performance Training Centre, which is a gold standard facility.
“We are very pleased Brianna has made the decision to continue her swimming career here in Western Australia.”
UAW West Australia Swim Club is home to Olympians Blair Evans and Tamsin Cook.