Swimming Australia make big change in Olympic plan

AFTER a disappointing display at the Rio Olympics, Swimming Australia has announced a host of changes.

Cate Campbell

AUSTRALIA’S swimming selection trials will be staged much closer to the Olympics and world championships in future as lessons from the Rio Games are heeded.

Swimming Australia has announced the trials will be staged about five weeks out from the showpiece events, instead of the previous three months as part of a review and four-year planning for Tokyo 2020.

After predicting 8-10 gold medals at the Rio Olympics, Australia emerged with three from a mixed campaign which prompted suggestions the swimmers needed more recent racing such as the dominant US team enjoyed.

Head coach Jacco Verhaeren said a key factor in achieving the change was the scheduling of state championship events in-line with later trials.

“Our rationale behind the trials shift is to create more and significant competition leading into our benchmark events,” Verhaeren said.

“This change will result in consistent racing in the months leading up to trials.”

The change is schedule has come after a disappointing Olympic Games in Rio.

Cameron McEvoy, Cate Campbell, Mitch Larkin and Emily Seebohm all held the fastest times in the world for their individual events leading into Rio.

Cate Campbell was tipped for big things in Rio.

All were tipped for gold at the games, but they missed the medals.

McEvoy and Campbell were the most disappointing of the Australian contingent in Rio.

McEvoy was tipped for five gold medals, but instead would take just two bronze medals home, both in relay events.

Campbell was the reigning world champion and world record holder in the women’s 100 freestyle.

She would swim a new Olympic record in the heats in Rio, but would only manage sixth in the final.

The change in the date of the Olympic trials ensures Australia’s swimming team will now mirror the preparation of the dominant United States swim team.

Australian swimmers generally do heavy training in the lead-up to the Olympics following trials held earlier in the Olympic year.

This means swimmers are coming off a heavy workload and then have to taper down for the games itself.

Several swimmers admitted that they struggled to get their taper correct.

In comparison, American swimmers come off competitive trial period just weeks out from the Olympics, before doing a brief training block to build back up for the games.

It’s believed the US approach has athletes coming in fresher and with more high quality competitive racing under their belts.

Swimming Australia CEO Mark Anderson said the post-Rio review process was about building on the progress was building towards a better showing in the next few years.

“We can and will learn from our Rio experiences,” Anderson said.

“We will build on the progress we have made and what was evident in Rio, both successes missed opportunities.

“We are looking forward to this next phase in our high performance evolution.”

“We have made considerable progress, both as an organisation and as an internationally competitive and respected team and importantly we have major alignment right across our sport.

“But we are far from satisfied. We always planned to make further changes in this Olympic cycle and the review has identified further changes that we need to make to ensure that we continue to progress and achieve excellence.

Australia’s swimmers are now focused on training and qualifying for the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.

— AAP

Originally published as Swimming Australia make big change in Olympic plan