OSAKA, Sunday (May 20): Rising Australian swimming star Leigh McBean will take another major step towards realising his sporting dreams when he dives into the Osaka Pool tomorrow on day one of the 2001 East Asian Games.

McBean, 19, has been one of Australian Swimming's quiet achievers in his quest to one day represent his country at the Pan Pacific, Commonwealth Games, World Championships and the Olympic Games.

"I guess this is another step up the ladder," said the first year E-commerce and finance student at Bond University.

"Over the past 12 months I have been to Edinburgh for the Commonwealth Youth Games, Sydney for this year's Youth Olympics and now Osaka for the East Asian Games.

"It has been a steady climb and one which I have enjoyed immensely and I am looking forward to some tough opposition here in Osaka."

McBean, who's father Steve once competed in the original Coolangatta Gold, will himself take on an iron man task here.

He will start his busy week when he joins Telopea's Nic Williams in the 200 metres freestyle on day one before lining up in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay on Day Two.

Day three will see him line up in his specialist 200m backstroke, then the 4x100m freestyle relay on Day four before the men's 100m backstroke on Day Five.

Depending on the times, it will be either McBean or Beau Mannix who will then line up in the Australian 4x100m medley relay.

Other Day One competitors will be Kate Krywulycz and Melinda Geraghty in the women's 100m freestyle; Jim Piper and Jarrad Church in the men's 100m breaststroke; and Melissa Morgan and Yvette Rodier in the women's 400m individual medley.Australia will send a team of 31-swimmers including Olympians Trent Steed and Robert Van Der Zant to this year's 2001 East Asian Games in Osaka, Japan.

Steed, a gold medallist in the 400 metres individual medley at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, represented Australia at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

2000 Olympian and Commonwealth Games representative Van Der Zant will also join him on the 14 strong men's team.

Australian Swimming's youth policy is also starting to prove fruitful with the selection of 10 members of the Dolphins team which dominated the 2000 Sydney Olympic Youth Festival in January.

Freestylers Stephen Penfold (Miami) and Kate Krywulycz (SLC Aquadot) who between them won seven gold medals at the Youth Festival will lead the next generation of Australia's swimmers.

They will be joined by fellow Festival team-mates Andrew Affleck (Gardens Queensland), Andrew Burns (Toongabbie), Leigh McBean (Miami), Nic Williams (Telepea), Georgina Bartlett (Melbourne Vicentre), Lara Davenport (Galston), Melissa Morgan (Burnside) and Kelli Waite (Yeronga Park).

Jim Piper, who is the current World Cup recorder holder for 200m breaststroke, who finished third in that event, at the Telstra Australia Swimming Championship in a time of 2:13.32, would have won him any previous Australian title.

The East Asian Games, to be conducted between May 19-27, will see Australia field it's third largest Australian Olympic Team ever assembled.

Australia is sending a Team of 300 athletes to Osaka which ranks only behind Sydney 632 athletes and Atlanta 426 athletes. There were 292 athletes in Barcelona in 1992

Besides being a key part of Australia's development strategy for youth , the East Asian Games is an event the Australian Olympic Committee is convinced will grow in stature in the coming years.

The following swimmers have been recommended to the Australian Olympic Committee to compete at the 2001 East Asian Games.

Men
	Andrew	Affleck	18	Gardens	QLD
	Andrew	Burns	18	Toongabbie	NSW
	Jarrad	Church	19	Peel Aquatic	WA
	Shane	Fielding	20	ST Peters Western	QLD
	Stephen	Goudie	21	Nunawading	VIC
	Beau	Mannix	20	Sandy Bay	TAS
	Leigh	McBean	17	Miami	QLD
	Stephen	Penfold	18	Miami	QLD
	Jim	Piper	19	Cambelltown	NSW
	Burl	Reid	22	Commercial	QLD
	Greg	Shaw	24	Chandler	QLD
	Trent	Steed	23	Cambelltown	NSW
	Robert	Van Der Zant	26	Yeronga Park	QLD
	Nic	Williams	18	Telopea	NSW
	
Women
	Jessica	Abbott	15	Hurstville Aquatic	NSW
	Francis	Adcock	16	Western Sharks	SA
	Georgina	Bartlett	17	Melbourne Vicentre	VIC
	Chloe	Bennett	15	All Saints	QLD
	Lara	Davenport	17	Galston	NSW
	Sophie	Edington	16	Loxton	SA
	Felicity	Galvez	16	Wilkinson	NSW
	Melinda	Geraghty	21	Commercial	QLD
	Sarah	Kasoulis	16	Carey Aquatic	VIC
	Kate	Krywulycz	16	SLC Aquadot	NSW
	Brooke	Martin	16	Forresters Beach Indoor	NSW
	Melissa	Morgan	16	Burnside	SA
	Yvette	Rodier	19	BHP Hunter	NSW
	Rebekah	Rychvalsky	18	Galston	NSW
	Tammie	Smith	17	Newman Churchlands	WA
	Kelli	Waite	16	Yeronga Park	QLD
	Jordana	Webb	18	Carey Aquatic	VIC

Head Coach: Leigh Nugent
Section Manager: Cliff Harris
Assistant Manager: Kerrie Andriolo
Team Coaches: Paul Sansby, Rick Van Der Zant, Don Watson-Brown, Stephan Widmar, Brian Wilkinson, Gary Winram.