Games hopeful splashes out

IVANHOE Grammar student Lachlan McLeish has started the year with his sights set on the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

The swimmer has returned recently from the Australian Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney with a bronze medal in the 200 metre backstroke.

“It was amazing to be part of the Australian team, I met so many people and the competition was at such a high standard, it was a phenomenal experience,” the Plenty campus student said.

McLeish, who has competed since he was 11, said it was his love of the sport that got him through the rigorous training and early morning sessions that put him on a path to international level competition.

Now 17, he will be a prime age for the 2016 Olympics. “I’m looking towards to the games in 2016 but I now want to work on my strengths and weaknesses with my coach,” he said. He swims for Surrey Park Swim Club in Box Hill.