Young Broome swimmer Jasper Barnett calls on community to help get to national swimming competition in April

Young Broome swimmer, Jaspar Barnett, 14, is calling for community support to help her get to the 2026 Australian Age Swimming Championships on the Gold Coast this April. It will mark the second year in a row that Barnett has competed in the national competition, with the swimmer winning a silver medal in the 50m butterfly and a fourth-place finish in the 50m backstroke event during her 2025 national championships campaign. Qualifying for the 14-year-old girls’ 50m butterfly, freestyle, backstroke and 100m butterfly events Barnett said she is gunning for the gold this time round. “My favourite event is the 50m fly which I am aiming to win gold. I am racing in six events compared to two last year. I will be in two relay events for WA which will be super fun being part of a team,” she said. While Barnett clearly has the skill to make a splash at the championships, raising the funds to get there has proved a challenge, despite her working two casual jobs to help pay for the trip. With estimated costs reaching nearly $13,000, Ms Barnett and her parents have started a fundraising page on the Australian Sports Foundation’s website to help raise the funds. The hefty bill comes on top of the expenses required to compete in the WA State Swimming Championships in Perth in late December where she won four gold medals, two silver and one bronze, qualifying her for the national championships. “The cost of having to travel to Perth or interstate multiple times a year just to be able to qualify is extremely expensive,” Barnett said. But money isn’t the only barrier with the swimmer having limited access to proper training facilities in Broome. “Competing at a national level while being based in Broome is challenging on multiple levels. Not having a 50m pool to train in makes competing in a 50m pool difficult,” she said. To prepare properly, Barnett will travel to Perth on March 26 and spend 12 days training in a 50m pool before travelling to the Gold Coast on April 6 to compete at the national competition. While she is not sure what her future in the sport holds, Barnett said she was fully focused on her upcoming campaign on the Gold Coast. “I really enjoy competitive swimming and am focused on training for nationals in April. As for a future as a professional athlete, I am not sure yet but I do know swimming will always be a big part of who I am,” she said. The 2026 Australian Age Swimming Championships are set to be held from April 11 to 18. You can help Barnett get to the nationals by donating at the Australian Sports Foundation website.