Kiwi swimmers recover for world championships
A weary New Zealand swim team, fresh from success at the Commonwealth Games, head to China tomorrow for the FINA World Short Course Championships.
The 18 members of the team in Melbourne are joined by five others for the squad to compete in the five-day meet that starts next Wednesday in Shanghai.
Commonwealth Games head coach Jan Cameron admits that it has been tough on her Melbourne squad to recover and refocus on the world championships.
``They put everything into the Games campaign and they have been away more than three weeks,” Cameron said. “While the environment inside the village was tremendous, it was also difficult once our competition was over for the swimmers to get back into the training environment to prepare for China.
“We decided to return to New Zealand for a few days but the squad are all quite tired and it’s been quite draining.
“This is not an excuse of course. To some degree we expected it and need to get over our flight quickly and set ourselves for the championships.”
Cameron hopes the success from Melbourne will flow on to Shanghai.
“This is short course and is very different. Turns are critical to success in short course meets – getting in and out quickly is the key. The swimmers will need to adapt quickly.
“At this stage we don’t quite know the level of the competition. Like Melbourne our focus is on performances though, and swimming fast. This is a key part of our international development as we look ahead to the Beijing Olympics and beyond.”
The team includes all of the Commonwealth Games medalists led by gold medalist Moss Burmester (pictured), Dean Kent, Hannah McLean, Cameron Gibson and the relay team of Lauren Boyle, Alison Fitch, Helen Norfolk and Melissa Ingram.
The newcomers into the squad include Cara Baker (Palmerston North), Kelly Bentley (Wellington), Robert Voss (North Shore), Daniel Ryan and Lewis Williams (both Auckland).
New Zealand gained one medal at the last world short course championships in Indianapolis with Ingram winning a bronze medal in the 200m backstroke.
The team for the 8th FINA World Short Course Swimming Championship at Shanghai 5 – 9 April 2006 is:
Females: Alison Fitch (North Shore), Lauren Boyle (West Auckland Aquatics), Cara Baker (Kiwi West, Manawatu), Hannah McLean (North Shore), Liz Coster (North Shore), Zoe Baker (Jasi, CHCH), Annabelle Carey (Aqua Gym, CHCH), Nichola Chellingworth (North Shore), Georgina Toomey (Jasi, CHCH), Helen Norfolk (North Shore), Kelly Bentley (West Auckland Aquatics), Melissa Ingram (North Shore).
Males: Cameron Gibson (North Shore), Andrew McMillan (Neptune, Otago), Robert Voss (North Shore), Scott Talbot-Cameron (North Shore), Glenn Snyders (North Shore), Corney Swanepoel (North Shore), Moss Burmester (North Shore), Dean Kent (North Shore), Daniel Ryan (Waterhole, Auck), Lewis Williams (Roskill, Auck)
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