Attention, Wishart residents. Swimmer Leticia Transom, or Tishe as her friends call her, is ready to once again make her suburb, and the whole of Australia and New Zealand proud on the most awaited Gold Coast 2018 happening this April.
This multi-talented 16-year-old, a New Zealander turned Wishart local, has also been named as 2017’s Junior Maori Sportswoman of the Year.
Already adept in athletics, netball, and triathlon, Tishe swam her way to try yet another field of sports and has turned out to be exceptionally good at it. Just into her first year as a competitive swimmer, she had already struck gold in the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games’ 200m freestyle.
“The first 100 I just took it easy and the last 100 I just kept building,” Tishe said. “The last 25 metres I gave it all and it worked out well.”
According to her, “standing on the podium, there’s nothing like it, the feeling you get was so uplifting, it was great.”
Recently, Tishe successfully proved her mettle in the recent New Zealand Commonwealth Games Trials, representing NZ in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle relay, and 4x100m medley relay. “It’s always an honour to compete for New Zealand and to be recognised for the hard work you put in as an athlete is very humbling and makes the 4:30 alarms a little more worthwhile,” she said.
Whilst being based in Brisbane certainly has its challenges, Tishe is not in the least bit bothered. “New Zealand will always be ‘home’ but the opportunities are here in Australia, so if that means travelling back and forth, it’s just what you have to do,” she said.
Witness how Tishe will attempt to swim her way to another triumph during the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Details regarding the games schedules are found here. You can also download the official app here.