World Championships swimmers back in action
There’s no rest for New Zealand’s leading swimmers who head from the world championships in Australia today to Christchurch for the start of the Absolute Insurance Youth and Open Championships.
Twelve of the world championship team are in action in the opening session of heats tonight at the QE2 Aquatic Centre in the first test of the controversial format to be used at next year’s Beijing Olympics.
Olympic organisers have reversed the normal swimming format to run heats in the evening and semifinals and finals in mornings to better fit with international television requirements. Swimming New Zealand wants swimmers to have as much opportunity as possible to race under this format before Beijing.
“It’s fair to say that the swimming community were not in favour of the format for Beijing and so it’s an opportunity for our swimmers to get their minds and bodied around these changes,” head coach Jan Cameron said. “For some time our swimmers have had to get up and swim fast in the morning at major meets like the world championships because otherwise they would not get to swim in the evening.”
“Over the next 17 months we will be working on changing so they can produce their best in morning swims.” Cameron said she is not expecting too much from the world championship team in Christchurch this week.
“They have had a big campaign and it will be tough on them this week. It’s a test of their fitness and motivation although for some who did not quite fire in Melbourne it’s a chance to put things right.” Cameron said the championships are an important opportunity for the next echelon of swimmers to put up their hands.
“We need to develop more depth at the top end and therefore this is a chance for the top young swimmers to show they have what it takes to step up. And if they want to make the team for Beijing then they need to stake a claim right here this week.”
Twelve of the world championship team are in action tonight including Moss Burmester, the best performed Kiwi in Melbourne, who competes in the heats of the 200m freestyle and 100m butterfly. New Zealand’s other two finalists from the world champions, Dean Kent and Zoe Baker, are also in action tonight.
Other squad members to compete tonight include Andrew McMillan, Michael Jack, Robert voss, Liz Coster, Glenn Snyders, Annabelle Carey, Corney Swanepoel, Melissa Ingram and Kane Radford.
England-based Cameron Gibson, Mark Herring, Lauren Boyle, Helen Norfolk and Alison Fitch will take part tomorrow with Hannah McLean the only team member missing, as she is currently in Europe.
The championships continue until Sunday with evening heats from 6pm tonight and semifinals and finals from 9am each morning.
For further information: Ian Hepenstall, Sports Media NZ, Tel 0275 613181, E: ianhep@xtra.co.nz
