Jarrod Poort qualifies for second Olympic team, but first in open water racing

ONE month before Jarrod Poort qualified for his second Olympics, the open water swimmer faced the daunting prospect of ruining his parents’ trip to Rio.

Olympian and Australian open water swimmer, Jarrod Poort, coaches the Ellis Beach nippers Picture: Anna Rogers

JARROD Poort proved his credentials as one of Australia’s best marathon swimmers by qualifying for his second Olympic team, but the first in open water racing.

Poort was Australia’s sole 1500m freestyle entrant at the London Olympic Games however he turned his attention to open water racing immediately after those Games where it was alleged he was bullied by senior members of the swim team.

The decision proved successful as Poort secured Australia’s only entry in the 10km open water race by placing seventh at the qualifying meet in Portugal.

Jarrod Poort competing at the London Games.

Poort narrowly secured his ticket to Rio by beating West Australian Simon Huitenga by just 3.2 seconds, a slender margin for a race over such a distance.

Adding to the Wollongong 21-year-old’s achievement was the fact his parents told him a few months ago they’d already paid for tickets to Rio in the hope they’d get to watch him race on the sport’s biggest stage again.

“About a month ago my dad Gary pulled me aside and said ‘son there’s something you should know,” said Poort.

“Your mother (Sheryl) and I have already booked our flights to Rio … and Mum wasn’t happy that he told me saying I didn’t need the extra pressure.

“But there was no pressure really ... I just saw it as an extra incentive to make the team.”

Poort said he could see how close his teammate was in the final stages of the race as the top 10 swimmers all jostled to get their hand on the finish wall first.

“Over the last 300m I just got swamped and I could see Simon and I knew it was going to be close,” Poort said.

“It sucks really, a real bitter sweet feeling for me to make the team and for Simon to miss out … I really feel for him.”

Chelsea Gubecka is heading to Rio. Picture: Glenn Hampson

Poort joins Chelsea Gubecka as Australia’s open water representatives, after the qualifying meet in Portugal, which was overshadowed by fresh concerns over water quality in Rio.

Reports over the weekend suggested scientists had found dangerous drug-resistant “super bacteria” off beaches in the Olympic city.

The new reports on water safety heighten concerns that Rio’s sewage-infested waterways are unsafe. The studies showed the presence of the microbes at five of Rio’s showcase beaches, including the oceanfront Copacabana where open-water swimming will take place.

The super bacteria can cause hard-to-treat urinary, gastrointestinal, pulmonary and bloodstream infections, along with meningitis. The bacteria contribute to death in up to half of patients infected, say experts.

Renata Picao, the lead researcher of the first study told Reuters: “These bacteria should not be present in these waters. They should not be present in the sea.”

Originally published as Jarrod Poort qualifies for second Olympic team, but first in open water racing