Space on the honour board at Bellbridge Primary School in Hoppers Crossing might need to be reserved judging by the development of its two budding sports stars.
Year six student Kaashvi and year five student Darcy have both recently achieved state and national recognition in their respective sports of swimming and cross-country running.
“Obviously we’re very proud of them both, it’s a great achievement for both of them” said Bellbridge Primary PE teacher Ben Harris.
“They both work very hard outside of school to make these things happen.”
They certainly do.
Kaashvi trains eight hours per week at the Laverton Wyndham Aquatics club, getting up at at 5am to work on her pet event, the backstroke, before going to school.
Mr Harris said the hard work had paid off in the improvement in her times for the 100m and 50m events.
“She’s managed to keep improving her personal best time with her swimming club.
She was 0.1 seconds away from making it to the next level (nationals).”
Darcy trains three to four times a week after school, dedication which has resulted in selection for the upcoming National Cross Country Championships in Canberra.
“Darcy is an amazing runner, he always stands out in PE”, said Mr Harris.
“He came first in cross country by a long way. He ran 2km in 7m and 22s, that’s very very fast.”
After progressing through district and regional competition, Darcy won selection to represent Victoria in Canberra by finishing fifth in the state titles.
It might seem like a lot of hard work for two kids not yet in high school, but Mr Harris said both Kaashvi and Darcy are competing because they want to.
“Their families are both very supportive. It’s certainly something they enjoy.”
Cade Lucas
