Cameron McEvoy enters 100m fly at Australian Olympic swimming trials — to get one over on a Kiwi!

CAMERON McEvoy is such a competitor he only entered the 100m fly to try and deny a club-mate Kiwi from having squad bragging rights in the event.

Cameron McEvoy smiles after swimming the Mens 50m Freestyle Heats on day 6 of the Australian Swimming Championships at the SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre in Adelaide, Tuesday, April 12, 2016. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

THE competitive beast within that’s driving Cameron McEvoy towards the Rio Olympics wouldn’t even let him rest for an inter-squad rivalry at this week’s national swimming championships in Adelaide.

McEvoy, who almost broke the world record in the 100m freestyle final on Monday night, backed up for heats of the 50m freestyle and 100m butterfly on Tuesday morning.

His presence on the starting blocks for the butterfly in particular raised a few eyebrows poolside.

And it was all in an attempt to make sure fellow Bond University Swimming Club teammate, New Zealander Chris Dawson, didn’t keep bragging rights to the 100m butterfly PB in the squad.

McEvoy needed to go 53.65 to beat Dawson’s mark but missed it by 0.2 of a second.

“There’s a New Zealander who trains with us and he went over to their nationals and did the 100m fly, won it, and went 53.6 but that also meant his PB was the fastest in the squad,” McEvoy said.

“So we all got up and entered the 100m fly here so that we could knock him down and regain the crown ... but we failed.

“I don’t think it’s a matter of letting him (have the record), I don’t think I can (break it).

“Maybe if I put in 100 per cent effort I still might not be able to beat him but it’s a fun inter-squad competition.”

The 21-year-old said he’d done a power of work since last year’s world championships which helped him to smash his 100m PB by 0.5 of a second.

Cameron McEvoy was third fastest in the mens 50m freestyle heats in Adelaide.

Known for his passion for science and physics, McEvoy applies mathematical and analytical thinking to his swimming training which pays off.

“I got straight back in the pool (after 2015 worlds), started initially by working on my fitness and covered all bases there and improved a lot in that area,” he said.

“Alongside that in the gym I was working on trying to get strength but also with really great efficiency and technique. I spent the year working on that and that mixed with a slightly improved technique in the water for my sprinting it doubled up.

“Then training week-in, week-out eventually it snowballed, it started with small improvements and it got me to where I am.”

McEvoy will head to Rio as a leading contender for gold in the 100m freestyle and while he appreciates what he’s done, he hasn’t stopped to smell the roses yet.

“I’ve taken a step back and looked at the bigger picture and it makes me feel really good about myself and my swimming,” he said.

“But I can’t really do that for too long because I’ve got another job to do, and I don’t want to sit back because I want to improve on that time and get better.

Cameron McEvoy had no problem backing up after his 100m freestyle heroics.

“Within two seconds of finishing I knew I could improve, that’s the type of mentality I have, I’m very analytical and I guess that’s what motivates me to get back into training.

“I want to improve and see what I can shave off the next time I do it, and I bet there are areas I don’t even know of yet that will probably pick up over time.”

He admits he very rarely stops thinking about swimming and how to get faster.

“It’s always on my mind and it should be like that, I’m in a sport where 0.1 means a world of difference,” he said.

“Every stroke in the warm up, the warm down and main set is always aimed at trying to improve on it and get that efficiency in the water.

“I’m not always going to be swimming like I was last night and doing my best, there are going to be times when I’m not feeling too great, won’t do a great time but the goal is on the average to improve myself as a swimmer.”

Unlike the hulking beasts of James Magnussen and Kyle Chalmers who are 95kg, McEvoy is a lot smaller at just 73kg but he makes up for it in power to weight ratio and technique.

Originally published as Cameron McEvoy enters 100m fly at Australian Olympic swimming trials — to get one over on a Kiwi!