At the age of just 13, Sydney University Swim Club member, Paige Burland, has become the youngest ever club member to qualify for the 2011 Telstra Australian Swimming Championships.
The championships are the selection trials for the FINA World Championships to be held in Shanghai in July.
At the NSW Speedo finals, Burland finished with a silver medal in the 50m backstroke, narrowly beaten by just one tenth of a second.
“Paige has come a long way since joining the club at the end of 2009 and at only 13, this is a great achievement for such a young swimmer,” Sydney University Swim Coach and Program Co-ordinator Vanessa Smith said.
She will compete against Olympic and Commonwealth Games representatives Emily Seebohm and Sophie Edington.
Burland also recently qualified for the Australian National Age Championships in her favourite events, the 100m and 200m backstroke.
She will travel to Adelaide, with four fellow Sydney University Swim Club members to compete at the championships in April.