Trio to represent Broome at Games

Three of Broome’s swimming prodigies will pave the way for the town to get back to being involved in the Arafura Games.

Tallara Cook, Gemma Kent and Talia Wilkinson will represent the Broome Barracudas at the Games’ swimming meet in Darwin from April 27-30.

It will be the first time the trio have competed in an international event, and coach Toni Smith has encouraged the girls to have fun rather than get caught up in the pressures of competing.

“Darwin is a very close town to Broome and participating in the Arafura Games will give kids in isolated areas the opportunity to try something different,” she said.

“Everyone’s very excited to enjoy themselves in Darwin and meet people from across the Asia-Pacific region.

“We had other sports participate in the Arafura Games in the past but going back to the swimming meet this year will hopefully encourage more local clubs to take part in 2021.”

Smith said she wanted the trio to relax and have fun as a reward for their hard work during training sessions at the Broome Recreation and Aquatic Centre pools.

“They train hard all the time, they’re not just training for one event,” she said.

“This will be the culmination of everything they have done during their training, and hopefully this will create a pathway for where they want to go in the future.”

The Arafura Games began as the Arafura Sports Festival in 1991, but was renamed the Arafura Games in 1998.

The international multi-sport event returned after an eight-year hiatus, when the Northern Territory Government committed funding towards its operation.

Along with swimming, this year’s Arafura Games will feature 16 other sport disciplines, including athletics, basketball, beach volleyball, boxing, football, netball, squash and tennis.