Year 11 student Lukas will represent Australia at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Canada this August, a significant achievement that reflects years of dedication, discipline and hard work in and out of the pool.
As a member of the Knox Swimming squad and the Pathways for Elite Athletes at Knox (PEAK) program, Lukas has embraced the challenges of balancing high-performance sport, academic studies and school life. Ahead of this international competition, he reflects on the experiences, people and lessons that have helped shape his journey.
Knox swimming team is a tight group of great athletes and mates. Everyone pushes each other to a high expectation and standard. Our coach Steve trains us at an elite level. We come into each training session with the goal to do our best and if we are not feeling great, the team helps us push through. Some great memories from this year were the CAS Swim Camp in the Blue Mountains in January, where we started training for the season with team-building activities to set the tone for the months ahead. CAS Swimming Championships is always a highlight each year. I love representing Knox and competing in front of all our peers and the school. It is a great atmosphere, and we were proud to bring the trophy home for the 10th year in a row.
The PEAK program has given me tools to manage the load of schoolwork, co-curricular activities and swimming. In particular, I have enjoyed and learned a lot from presentations from dieticians, psychologists and Knox Old Boys who have excelled in sport. These sessions have given me great tools to manage the complexity of training and competing at an elite level while also managing the academic load and participating in other school events.
Stay driven and motivated. Keep faith and trust that the journey will provide outcomes that you will be proud of. The journey is not a big leap to the end-result but an accumulation of small steps that take you there at the end. Know the importance of culture and a team in the sport. Even though it seems like an individual journey the teammates and support you have along the way plays such an enormous role in success.
21 September 2026
"When I think about my own time at Knox, I realise just how many different parts of this school have shaped me,” our 2026 School Captain Mani said, as he gave his final speech at the Valedictory Ceremony. “I came here as a Year 7 boy, I had absolutely no idea what the next six years would look like. I picked up a saxophone. I played football. I took up Cadets. I got involved in Social Justice and Service.
18 September 2026
Yesterday, the stands at Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre were a sea of Black and Blue as students, parents, coaches, staff and supporters came together to cheer on our CAS Track and Field team, with the Tartan Army leading the charge.
15 September 2026
In 2025, Knox Grammar and Wahroonga Prep joined the Independent Schools NSW 'Respectful Relationships: Proactive Education' initiative. The program is designed to strengthen a whole-school approach to respectful relationships, helping young people develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions required to build healthy and respectful interactions throughout their lives.
