Meet the 17-year-old Darwin Boy with 10 Australian Records

It is hard to keep up with Sean, both physically during the interview, and even after when writing the article. As the teenager continues to break more Australian records, checking his social media for updates is now something the Student Spotlight does regularly. “I’m only a second out to another four,” he told the Student Spotlight.

Many athletes compete in the field for honour and valour, but Sean Deutch started competing because he was born for it. As the holder of 10 Australian records at just 17, ‘rising star’ seemed to be an understatement to describe Sean when he is already shining bright in the pool.

Despite the pressure, the young athlete remained focused, his eyes fixed on the water sparkling under the sun, as the waves moved before him. Then, as the signal gun went off, he paddled through, extending his arms as water splashed around him – this was how an Australian record was made.

“I didn’t know for a week or two after that I broke the Australian record,” he told the Student Spotlight, “But It was just pure excitement that I broke the record.”

Growing up in a family where all his brothers are swimmers, Sean said he was born into sibling rivalry. Swimming for as long as he could remember, all Sean wanted when he was little was to defeat his two older brothers – and defeating them he did.

Now breaking his 10th Australian record, the young athlete said he is just getting started. Now training extra hard for more opportunities, Sean said the dream is to compete in green and gold.

“I train every day, so I’ll just keep doing that, and I’ll just keep working on myself so I can hopefully go into the Olympics,” he said.

Waking up every day at 3 in the morning and training two times a day for seven days every week is what it takes for Sean to be on top of his game. In every two-and-a-half-hour session, the young athlete said he would swim up to 7 kilometres, that is a total of 98 kilometres each week – a distance long enough to reach the Tiwi Islands from Darwin Port. 

“I fine tuned my butterfly a lot to get the Australian record,” he said, “It is spending hours and [swimming many kilometres] just training on my kick on my butterfly, or my arms, or my hand entry… It was really hard and really tiring.”

Plunging into the cold water each morning, only two things are going through the young athlete’s mind – how to improve himself, and how to beat more Australian records. It was through this mentality, he said, that helped him succeed as a young swimmer.

“To me, [my routine] is very important so that I don’t miss my training,” he said.

“I just love swimming; it is my favourite thing. When I have a good day, I swim; When I have a bad day, I swim”

Above the water, Sean is also a student at Darwin High School, a boxer and a coach for young swimmers. While facing many responsibilities beyond his swimming career, the 17-year-old said he doesn’t buckle.

“Training and school take priority, and the rest can be made around them,” he said.

Looking forward and as a career beyond a professional swimmer, Sean said he wanted to open a swimming school one day and train the next generation of young Territory athletes.

And for the next generation of young swimmers, Sean’s advice is simple – remember what you are doing this for.

“It is important to have that drive,” he said, “just listening to your coach and the people supporting you is the best thing you can do.”