Eight Griffith students head to Hungary for world championships

Griffith students of physics, business, nursing and public health will share a 50m pool with the world’s fastest swimmers when the 17th FINA World Swimming Championships start in Hungary on Friday (July 14).

Emma McKeon, Cameron McEvoy, Madi Wilson and world championships rookie Shayna Jack will be hoping to make notable contributions to a strong Australian team performance in the pool.

They’ll be joined in Budapest by four other Griffith students also competing at one of the world’s major sporting events of 2017.

Exercise science student, Kiah Melverton, will take part in the 5km open water event, while Nikita Pablo (science) and Kirsten Kinash (public health) are members of the Australian synchronised swimming team.

Domonic Bedggood, a sport development student at Griffith’s Gold Coast campus, is part of a 10-strong diving team. He will be aiming to maintain his remarkable rise up the sport’s rankings which took him to gold at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games when he linked up with Matthew Mitcham to win the 10m platform synchronised diving final.

All of the competing athletes are part of Griffith Sports College which has provided support in balancing elite sporting commitments with the pressures of university study.

“It’s great to see these Griffith students at the peak of their sporting powers ready to represent their country on a global stage,” Naomi McCarthy, Manager of the Griffith Sports College and a veteran of four FINA World Championships, said. “We wish all involved with the Australian team the very best during the 17 days of competition in Budapest.”

While swimming at world championship events is familiar territory for perennial medal candidates like Emma McKeon and Cameron McEvoy, competing at Budapest alongside the likes of Emily Seebohm, Kyle Chalmers and Bronte Campbell will crown a breakthrough year for 18-year-old Shayna Jack.

The Griffith business student from Brisbane is also building towards the Australian swimming trials at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre next February, where she will race for a place on the Australian team to compete at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.