Olympic medallist Emily Seebohm in Adelaide for Rio swimming trials

EMILY Seebohm has a standard reply any time her father John, the Glenelg 300-game SANFL legend and Tigers hall of famer, tells her how tough competitive sport was “back then”.

SWIMMING

EMILY Seebohm has a standard reply any time her father John, the Glenelg 300-game SANFL legend and Tigers hall of famer, compares sport across generations.

“He always tells me how tough he had it back then and how easy I’ve got it now — but I know he can’t swim 50m so I’m like, ‘Ahh, how tough was it really?’,” Emily laughs.

The two-time Olympic gold medallist, still just 23, is in Adelaide this week with the Australia’s best swimmers contesting national championships that double as selection trials for this year’s Rio Games.

The eight-day trials at Marion’s SA Aquatic Centre will be contested barely 4km from Glenelg Oval where John Seebohm became a household name in Adelaide during a 319-game career for the Tigers between 1978 and 1992 that included key roles in the club’s 1985 and 1986 SANFL premierships.

The 2015 FINA World Championships gold medal winning Campbell Sisters, Cate and Bronte, with Jayden Hadler, in Adelaide for the Australian Swimming Championships. Picture: Sarah Reed

“But Emily has done far more than I ever did,” Mr Seebohm said.

“I played a few games of footy at SANFL level, which was great back then, but the level she is at with her swimming and the challenges she has — I mean, she’s taking on the world, not just playing footy in Adelaide.”

As well as backing from her family in the stands, Emily will be supported across the coming week by her partner and fellow Rio aspirant Mitch Larkin.

The backstroking pair became an item in the middle of last year, and said having a partner who knew an elite athlete’s daily struggles was beneficial.

“But when we get on the pool deck, we’re not boyfriend and girlfriend,” Emily said. “We’re just friends that know each other really well.”

Olympic trials run from today until next Thursday, starting at 11am.

Originally published as Olympic medallist Emily Seebohm in Adelaide for Rio swimming trials