Year 12 student Harvey Larke is no stranger to early mornings. Six days a week, he’s in the water at MSAC at 5.30am for swimming training.
It’s the combination of talent and dedication to his sport that has seen Harvey, 2023 Captain of Swimming, achieve great things in the pool.
One gold, three bronze
Harvey’s talent in the pool has been evident since he joined the School in Year 3, but his recent success has been on the world stage.
Harvey recently represented Australia in the Trinbago 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games. Despite the arduous travel – in transit for four days – Harvey put in stellar performances in the water, winning one gold and three bronze medals.
The gold medal and two of the bronze medals came from relay events. “Relays are a lot more enjoyable than your own event, because they take the pressure off,” says Harvey. “You also want to do well for the team, but it’s not about you as much.”
The third bronze was the result of the Men’s 200m Freestyle, and came as a surprise. “I’d actually come 9th in the heats and hadn’t made the final,” recalls Harvey. “I went back to the Athletes Village and woke to the news that I was in the final because someone had pulled out. I didn’t have the whole day to think about it which was good. Because I was in an outside lane, my only goal was to not come last or embarrass myself.”
He placed on the podium, with the winner of that event being a Trinidad athlete. “During the medal presentation the crowd was loud and a bit rowdy, so that was really good,” he says about the atmosphere.
Dreaming of Olympic glory
2023 has been a busy year in the water for Harvey. He placed first in the Pier to Pub open water race and won the Junior event in the Portsea Swim Classic.
Behind his success is a confident mindset and willingness to put in the work. “You get what you put in,” says Harvey. “You want to have confidence standing behind the block, knowing you’ve put the work in – knowing that you’re capable of doing a good time and beating other people.”
Harvey’s dream is to make it to the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, but he’s looking to other goals as well, such as the 2024 Australian Age Championships. “I’d love to be in another Australian team in the future because it was a great experience and I want to do it again,” he says.
