A Warners Bay student has made swimming history, breaking a 30-year-old NSW Combined High Schools (NSWCHS) freestyle record previously set by Olympic champion Ian Thorpe.

The under-14 200m mark was originally established by Australia’s greatest swimmer in 1996 and remained untouched for three decades, standing as one of the longest-running records in NSWCHS competition.

That record has now been surpassed by Year 8 student Liam Blair, who delivered a standout performance at the NSWCHS Championships at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre, stopping the clock at 1:59.74.

The annual meeting took place earlier in the month and the achievement prompted the NSW Department of Education to share the success on social media.

The post highlighted the significance of the feat and the calibre of swimmer whose name it had long been associated with.

Blair said he had been working towards the milestone for some time.

“I’ve been eyeing it off for a year,” he admitted.

Rather than being daunted by Thorpe’s legacy, Blair said it became a source of motivation in the pool.

“I mean, I look up to him; he’s a very good swimmer,” he added.

“He got this record and then four years later went to the Olympics, broke the world record and won gold at the Olympics.

“So, it means a lot to break this, a 30-year-old record, it’s amazing.”

The NSW Department of Education also responded to the post, writing in comments: “We can’t wait to see where he goes!”

The result marks a significant milestone in Blair’s development as a competitive swimmer.

This achievement places him among the state’s most promising junior talents, with the youngster now setting his sights on future representative honours, including the Olympics.

While still early in his sporting journey, the performance has drawn attention across the school sport community, with Blair’s sub-two-minute swim placing him in history.

For more news stories:

• Hunter workers still being priced out of housing market
• ‘Gimmick’… Critic blasts DV blitz that nets almost 1,000
• Council eyes off more housing near Newcastle’s train stations

Get all the latest Newcastle news, sport, real estate, entertainment, lifestyle and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Newcastle Weekly Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.