Teen breaststroke phenom Sienna Toohey lifts lid on jampacked life in and out of the pool
GOLD COAST: Life for Sienna Toohey, the 17-year-old swimming sensation from Albury, involves weekly trips to and from Canberra, a tiny bit of on-site schooling, quite a bit of online schooling and, of course, knocking out laps, winning races and breaking records.
The breaststroke phenom, best known for erasing some of Olympic gold medallist Leisel Jones' junior Australian records, enjoyed another stellar night in her prodigious rise on the Gold Coast on Easter Monday.
Extracting every ounce of power and stamina out of her minute frame, Toohey took out the women's 100-metre breaststroke title at the Australian Open.
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Sienna Toohey after her Easter Monday win. Getty
She didn't rewrite the record books on this occasion — but the 1:06.69 she swam was too swift for her nine rivals, all of whom are older and one of whom, the second-placed Ella Ramsay, is an Olympian.
Toohey, a year 11 student at Albury High School, climbed out of the pool and lifted the lid on life in and out of the water, which involves weekly trips to and from the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).
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"Sometimes me and my mum drive up on Sunday night to Canberra, I train Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday morning, and then I drive back home, go to school Thursday afternoon, go to school Friday, and then I do it again," Toohey told reporters.
"But I do online school while I'm there [in Canberra] ... It's getting a bit more serious, so we've linked up with one of the schools up in Canberra so I can do my tests there, which is really, really helpful, so I'm not having to go back and do tests all the time."
Her school is understanding of the unique position she's in, being a student and an elite swimmer with Olympic ambitions, though that has not always been the case.
"They're very, very, very supportive of me," Toohey said.
"I got a lot of my favourite teachers this year, so having them on my side has just been really, really helpful.
Sienna Toohey and Leisel Jones. Instagram
"I've had teachers in the past where they haven't been as supportive of me trying to do long-distance learning.
"But [these teachers are] amazing, so they organised me to do tests in Canberra and everything, and I'm very happy with that."
Toohey broke Jones' 15 years 100m breaststroke record at the trials for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
She also claimed Jones' 16 years 100m record at last year's junior national championships, then bettered her newly minted record at the trials for last year's Singapore world titles.
Toohey qualified for a senior Dolphins team for the first time at those trials. In scenes that melted hearts all around Australia, she shed tears after touching the wall, and more tears in a pool-side interview with swimming legend Cate Campbell on Nine.
Despite her rise to fame, she feels a sense of normality at school.
"My friends at school, they know I'm a good swimmer, which is good, but that's not the only thing they care about with me, which I find is really, really important for me," Toohey said.
"I get the odd comment here and there by people, but I think going to school and just having that normal kind of teenage years is really important for me."
Also in action at Gold Coast Aquatic Centre on Easter Monday was Jed Toohey, one of Sienna's brothers.
Jed has autism.
"Me and Archie [her other brother] have always been really protective over him and, really, we just love him with all of our hearts," she said.
Like thousands of sports-mad Australian kids, the Brisbane 2032 Olympics are spurring Toohey on.
"They've always been pretty clear in my mind," she said.
"I've always wanted to go to them just because they're at home.
"I think starting where I am now, where I made the senior team last year, getting a bit more experience under my belt before then is really, really, really important, and it's just made me a lot more excited for them."