YOU COULD be forgiven for believing Brad Mellington and Lara Judd spend more time in the water than they do out of it.
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The Echuca Swimming Club pair ramped up preparations for the Victorian Long Course Country Championships with wins in the Morrison's Wharf to Winery Swim yesterday morning.
Mellington's time of 27:52 capped off a remarkable weekend for the teenager who also was successful in the Echuca-Moama Triathlon team's event on Saturday.
And his 700m swim in the triathlon only came after a training session with swimming club teammates prior to the event.
“It's definitely been a hectic weekend with a lot of preparation towards the Country Champs but it is all going to help,” Mellington said.
“I was pretty fortunate a couple of other competitors swam in the wrong direction which certainly helped to maintain a lead.
“The longer distance swimming is certainly something I'm still getting used to because backstroke is usually my forte.
“Competing in the event last year certainly helped and I think it made a massive difference in the result.”
While Mellington had previously competed in the event, Judd was competing for the first time.
And she said the transition between the pool and open water was much easier than she had expected.
“I quite liked the challenge of swimming down the stream,” Judd said.
“You think it might be tight for space but I was fortunate enough to find some room with no one around and do my own thing.
“I'll definitely be looking to get involved again in the future. Now I'm looking forward to the Country Champs because it is one of my favourite events to compete in.”
In other results, Jeff Swan and Liliana Angeles won the male and female open classes.
Meanwhile, Brodie Buerckner and Emily Richards won the junior divisions.
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