Local City of Playford (South Australia) swimmer to Compete at Australian Aged and MC Championships. Hosted at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre starting on the 6th April 2024.

Michael Smith qualified for 6 events in 2023, competing in all his heats Michael made finals for 3 events and placed Top 10 in the country for 2 of these events.

In 2024 Michael has Qualified for 10 events across 3 days of competition. Entry Fees for this competition are $33 per event, being hosted on the Gold Coast there are also associated travel and accommodation costs. A bonus for Michael this year is celebrating his 18th Birthday during this competition, this means sacrificing any celebration till competition is completed do to the possibility of drug and alcohol testing.

Travelling with Michael comes with some challenges, as Michael lives with Autism, so as a family we drive. It takes a bit longer but is the cheaper option. Before we leave there is a checklist of tasks to complete ensuring we have everything covered, from car maintenance and servicing ready for travel, checking Michael’s swimming suits and warmup equipment is in good condition, and of course, any medication and therapeutic equipment is all organised ready for travel.

We travel with his favourite pillows and blankets. Some very specific towels and clothes. There are must-haves like his phone, headphones, sports roller and massage gun. We also ensure that accommodation is located to source a masseuse easily, for Michael’s body.

Michael is aiming to compete for Australia but his classification is yet to be made permanent at a para level, however as he continues his training and competitions he gets faster, gaining some state able times. 

This means in time he may be able to compete with standard competitors outside of the MC field.