Brisbane Aquatic Centre will host the Aussie s/c championships from July 14 to 18, the moment a chance to sharpen race skills and earn selection to the world s/c champs in Dubai in December.
Leigh Nugent, head coach for the Dolphins tells the media Down Under: "We’ve scheduled the meet now, not only as a preparatory meet for Pan Pacs, but short course gives swimmers the chance to swim fast, even when they are in heavy work, because of the assistance from the walls. We’re looking forward to seeing how everyone swims and also looking forward to selecting a team for Dubai."
That world 25m squad may be missing a few key names. "A number of the Pan Pacs and Commonwealth Games athletes may not be available to compete in Dubai due to the heavy schedule this year, so Dubai will be a good chance for some developing athletes to push for their first national senior team, looking ahead to the World Championships next year and then on to London," the coach explained.
The Brisbane meet next month will also feature swimmers from the US, Brazil and Britain. Among those at the top of the bill is Emily Seebohm, one of 10 swimmers to have raced inside the pace of a world record that had stood on February 1, 2008 before non-textile suits enhanced performances significantly and severed the link to the history of the sport.
Her coach Matt Brown steered clear of running with media questions that compared his multi-talented 18-year-old charge with the multi-gold medallist Michael Phelps, but he did say this: "Phelps is a freak. Then we had (Mark) Spitz 40 years ago, some of the East Germans were pretty good too, but they might have had a bit of assistance, then there's Em and she's definitely capable of a lot. You'd be foolish not to strive for a lot and I think she's got the material to do that: her talent, the demeanour, the physical characteristics are all showing that she's capable of going all the way."
