He's got the Taree Torpedoes record in the bag but now Lucas Kloosterhof wants to be the fastest swimmer in NSW for his age group in 1500m freestyle.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Lucas smashed the Torpedoes 1500m freestyle record at the State qualifying meet at Taree two weeks ago and now heads to Banora Point (Northern Rivers region) this weekend for the Swimming North Coast Long Course Championships and a shot at the NSW record.
Lucas is the Manning River-Times Iguana Sportstar of the Week, earning a $50 open order at Iguana.
He thinks his best time, 17:57.50, at the Taree meet broke the club record by upwards of three to four minutes.
"It was a really good time, I dropped 40 seconds from my best so it was a massive personal best," he exclaimed.
"I was a bit disappointed because I thought I made the State time then."
Despite his blistering pace at the Taree meet, he finished a close second in the 1500m final.
He spent the entire race neck and neck with another competitor.
"There was no longer than a metre between us and he just got me in the end," Lucas explained.
"In the last 500m, he picked it up a bit and gained about a body length.
"In the last 200 I brought it back really close but he just got me in the touch, it was about 0.5 of a second."
In recent years Lucas obtained multiple club records, namely in the longer distance events. He needs a 17:50 flat to break the record this weekend.
"I feel like I can get it, I've stepped up training a bit more," Lucas said.
He'll be taking on his new rival and a handful of talented Far North Coast swimmers who didn't compete at the Taree qualifier. After the championships, Lucas will compete in the State open water championships in mid December in Sydney before the national open water titles on Australia Day weekend.
The newly minted Taree High School captain recently started his HSC studies. He's started to get the balance of studying and swimming just right.
"It's a bit of a change, I've had to cut back on swimming and social life for studying," Lucas said.
Lucas had knee surgery in late February and was set to miss the school swimming season in preparation for State and national events.
But with a three month shutdown of the Manning Aquatic Leisure Centre facilities and subsequent swim club hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he hasn't missed a beat.
"I didn't miss out on anything during the recovery process," he said.
Lucas is focused on university, potentially studying engineering.
"University of NSW would be my goal because that's a prestigious uni and they've got really good swimming teams," Lucas said.
In 2020, Lucas dabbled as soccer referee and worked as a lifeguard.
