Tom Price teen to compete in advanced youth comp

A Tom Price teenager will be competing on a team representing WA in swimming at a major youth athletics tournament this week.

Drew Misiuepa, 16, was last month selected for the Pacific School Games and is the only Pilbara resident to be taking part.

The competition, which is the flagship event for School Sport Australia, allows school-aged students from across Australia and the Pacific area to compete in 11 different sports at an advanced level, and are being held in Adelaide throughout this week.

Drew’s mother Rebecca Misiuepa said the Tom Price Senior High School student had been swimming since he was six, in the family’s former home of Pannawonica, and now trained every day with the Tom Price Swimming Club.

She said Drew had previously competed at the State championships in Perth but this would be his first competition at a national or international level.

“I think it’s all just starting to sink in now and he’s getting a bit nervous about the enormity of it,” she said.

“The games are pretty big. They used to use it as the lead-up to the Commonwealth Games, at a school level.

“They have over 4500 kids in it and they don’t have accommodation anywhere in Adelaide at the moment.” Drew has travelled to the games as part of the WA swimming team and will be racing in the 50m and 100m freestyle events.

His trip has been supported by the Shire of Ashburton and Lestok Tours.