Help Gabby and Isaac swim for Gold in France 2023

The cost for a child to compete in sport is not cheap for any parent, especially at an elite level.

When 2 children from the same family, brother and sister duo Gabby and Isaac, are chosen to swim as part of team Australia in France, the cost is $20,000.

Enjoy reading their story below, and if you can please donate, to help them be able to achieve their goal and continue to chase their swimming dreams!

Brother and sister duo Gabriella and Isaac Howells have been selected to swim in Vichy France in June 2023 as part of the Australian swim team at the 2023 Global Games.

All funds raised will go directly towards the costs associated with being part of the team, including flights, accommodation, uniforms,

Virtus hosts Global Games every 4 years, giving elite level athletes an opportunity to showcase their talents, in their chosen sport.

Global Games are the biggest multi-sport event in the world for athletes with an intellectual disability or psychosocial impairment such as Autism.

The games will be held in Vichy France from June 1 to June 10, and will feature over 1000 high elite athletes from over 80 countries, as they compete across 10 sports.

This year will be the first time in Global Games history that athletes without an intellectual impairment can compete and will race for full medal and world record status.

The 2019 Global Games which was held in Brisbane, saw Gabriella, who is now 19, showcase her swimming talents and proudly represent her country. She became somewhat of a golden girl of the water, and brought home a swag of medals, 7 gold and 3 silver, impressively swimming a personal best time in each of the 10 events that she competed in.

Gabriella hung up her goggles for a period of about 12 months, but made a return to the pool, in December 2022. Her goal was to be selected as part of team Australia.

In February, she got the news that she had been waiting for, she had made the team.

She has since been training a consistent intense swimming regime as well as vigorous gym sessions to give her the best possible chance of success in France in June.

Gabby was the first swimmer in Australia to be officially classified as an S19 swimmer, which is a classification for athletes with high functioning Autism.

She hopes to be able to continue to promote inclusion, and more acceptance of Autism, and encourage younger children to follow their goals despite what disabilities or obstacles lie in their way.

She believes that anything is possible if you put your mind to it, and you should never let anyone else put you down or create self-doubt in pursuit of fulfilling your dreams.

Her younger brother, Isaac at only 14 will be the youngest member of the Australian swim team that will compete in France in June.

Isaac swam at the 2022 Oceania Games in Brisbane where he proudly represented Australia, claiming 5 medals in total from the event.

Isaac was not hopeful at gaining selection in France as the Global Games are an open event, meaning he could be racing competitors who are many years older than he is.

The age criteria for the event is 16, but Australian selectors saw enough talent, drive and potential in him to earn him a spot on the Australian team.

Isaac will compete at Nationals in April 2023, on the Gold Coast, where he is hoping to claim some Australian National titles across multiple events in his age group. Isaac’s coach believes that he is destined to succeed in the sport of swimming, having a natural swimming ability from an early age.

Isaac has a current national ranking of #1 across 7 of his favoured events for his age class such as 50 metre Backstroke, 400 IM, 100 Butterfly, 1500 metre Freestyle, 800 Freestyle, 100 Backstroke, and 200 Backstroke.

Vichy France will be a wonderful experience for both Isaac and Gabby, a dream come true for them, and will create memories which will last them a lifetime.