FEATURE - Singapore Swim

This month, we are excited to highlight the remarkable achievements of two of our own Hinterland swimmers, Lene Lund Knudsen and Kylie Cornock, who travelled across the globe to compete in the highly competitive World Aquatics Masters Championships. The event provided them with a unique opportunity not only to test their skills against some of the world's best Masters swimmers but also to gain invaluable experience on an international platform.

By Angela Reedman-Polinski

The World Aquatics Masters Championships - Singapore 2025 showcased an impressive array of aquatic sports. As one of the premier events in the masters swimming community, it drew over 6,000 competitors from 100 countries, all converging in

Singapore to display their talents and passion for aquatic sports.

Local Masters swimmers, Lene and Kylie, took to the world stage and tested their swimming skills against the best of the best!

Lene won bronze in the 50m butterfly against a strong field. She swam a new best Masters time for 50m backstroke and placed in the top ten for all five of her individual races. Lene had great success in relays, bringing home a silver and two gold medals with a championship record in the 4 x 50m women's medley relay.

“I trained with the Swimfit squad at the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) under the guidance of coach Jake Templeton. My training consisted of a dedicated gym program three times a week, which included a mix of strength training and conditioning exercises designed to rehabilitate my shoulder,” said Lene.

“In addition to my gym sessions, I swam four times a week, focusing on improving my technique and speed while also prioritising the strengthening of my injured shoulders. This structured approach was important, as I had been coping with the shoulder injuries and wanted to enhance my overall performance in the water.

“After having to pull out of the event in Japan two years ago due to the shoulder injuries, it was nice to race some good times and come away with an individual medal and a championship record in the women's medley relay.”

Kylie swam her fastest time in over two years for the 100m freestyle and swam a new best time for the 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly. She beat her 50m freestyle time once again in the anchor leg of the 4 x 50m women's freestyle relay, helping her team secure a bronze.

“For my training, I created a sprint-paced training program for myself while incorporating my regular gym routine to focus specifically on isolating swimming muscle movements,” said Kylie.

“I had two training partners who helped hold me accountable on both good and bad days, ensuring I stayed on track with my preparation. This support was invaluable in maintaining my consistency.

"I felt a sense of freedom during my participation at the World Masters event, where I could focus entirely on swimming and temporarily let go of my everyday life and responsibilities. While I missed everyone back home, I also appreciated the opportunity to concentrate solely on my swimming during this brief time. It’s not often we get that time!

“I'm so grateful to have raced in Singapore. Just being there for this event and being involved within the masters swimming community is a wonderful place to be. It was a thrill to race on the international stage, see my training come together to produce personal bests and achieve a medal result that I'm pleased with.

"Achieving new ‘personal best’ times as we age can be surprising. It’s a unique challenge for Master swimmers, as you never know when you might reach a plateau. A new best time is thrilling and shows you’re on the right path."

Both Lene and Kylie included remedial massage and saunas as part of their preparation, with Kylie also incorporating float therapy, and Lene adding physiotherapy sessions.

“We had the opportunity to do a bit of sightseeing towards the end of our trip and visited the iconic Gardens by the Bay, the Singapore Botanic Gardens and Marina Bay Sands.

The timing worked well, and we were both able to see plenty,” shared Kylie.

“With the competition scheduled for August, we were also there on August 9, which was a public holiday in Singapore for National Day. This is a day celebrating the country's independence and sovereignty, marked by a parade and fireworks display that we enjoyed from our hotel that evening.”

Both Lene and Kylie shared that it's been a great experience competing at the World Masters Championships 2025 and an opportunity that they are glad they took."Singapore did an outstanding job hosting the event, making us feel welcomed as competitors and visitors. The city is surprisingly quiet with crowds of people moving calmly and systematically,” said Lene.

“On our final evening, we enjoyed authentic local cuisine at TungLok Seafood, located at Gardens by the Bay. We sampled the Singapore Chilli Crab, jellyfish noodles, and baby octopus, along with a classic stir-fry made with salted egg yolk. It was a wonderful opportunity to experience the rich flavours of Singapore.

“It was great to meet up with Sam and Susanne from Masters Swimming Queensland, who organised an after-party. We enjoyed a few drinks at the local jazz bar, which provided the perfect atmosphere to celebrate our achievements.”

"We would like to extend our gratitude to World Aquatics, Masters Swimming Queensland, and The Swim Academy for their exceptional organisation of the Singapore competition,” added Kylie.

“The event showcased not only a high level of competitive spirit but also a seamless experience for all participants. It fostered camaraderie among athletes from around the world.

“Thanks also to our family, friends, and Glasshouse Masters swim team back home, who cheered us on with messages of support. We appreciate it!”