MYALL Masters swimmer Leon Bobako has come home from the 20th Australian Masters Games with nine gold medals from nine events.
Held at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) from 18-25 October, the Games showcased 40 sports and attracted Masters-age athletes from as far away as Chile, Spain and China.
Gruelling barely begins to describe Leon’s personal race schedule, with nine swimming events in the 75-79-years age group across Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October.
The Life Member of the Myall Masters competed in four breaststroke races (25 metres, 50m, 100m and 200m), the 25m and 50m freestyle, 25m and 50m butterfly, and the 100m Individual Medley.
Leon attained personal best times in both his freestyle races, and swam his Individual Medley in 1.31 minutes, shaving 10 seconds off his nominated time to record his fastest time for the event in 10 years.
Despite the nine gold medals, Leon said it was not all smooth sailing.
“The set up of the starter and the sound system resulted in two slow starts for me, and in the 50metre freestyle, ill-fitting goggles and a cap malfunction resulted in a ripped cap just on race commencement, which meant the cap was discarded at the very last second for the race,” Leon explained.
He also suffered multiple cramps over several hours due to three consecutive races on Sunday, but that did not stop him backing up for his 25m Breaststroke and 100m Individual Medley.
Despite only being able to fit in 10 preparation swimming sessions focusing on technique, Leon attributes much of his success at this meet to his regular weight training regime.
“Regular practice is something many mature-aged people in our community can benefit from,” Leon said.
Myall Masters spokesperson Christine Dunning told NOTA that Leon’s results were “outstanding to say the least”.
“Not only did he come away with a swag of medals but he achieved nine gold medals from nine events.
“Myall Masters are extremely proud of Leon’s achievements, congratulations Leon on an amazing effort and an outstanding result!”
By Thomas O’KEEFE
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