Queensland elite Olympic Games swimming prospects set to return to pool training

Queensland’s elite Olympic Games swimming prospects will dive back from COVID-19 crisis wilderness and resume pool training within seven days.

Queensland’s elite Olympic Games swimming prospects will dive back from COVID-19 crisis wilderness and resume pool training within seven days.

On Friday the state government announced lap swimming involving no more than 10 swimmers would be allowed from next weekend, opening the door for Queensland’s swimming elite to return to pool training.

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David Lush, who coaches Olympic prospects Minna Atherton, Maddie Groves and Calypso Sheridan, would have 10 of his swimmers back in the water in seven days. “We will hit the ground running,’’ he said.

Elizabeth Dekkers from the Newmarket Racers.

Steve Miller from the Newmarket Racers Club, who is overseeing the training of potential Olympian Elizabeth Dekkers and a host of rising young swimmers, had space booked at the 13 lane wide All Hallows pool for his 10 top swimmers.

Dean Boxall, coach of St Peters Western, the No.1 swimming club in Australia, was expecting to have some of his swimmers, 10 at a time, back in the water by next Saturday.

The swimmers were halted from pool work in late March as the COVID-19 crisis loomed.

St Peters swimmer Mitch Larkin. Pics Tara Croser.

Boxall, coach of world champion Ariarne Titmus, said three weeks ago the break from St Peters intense training was initially a positive but they needed to return to pool training asap.

He will now push his squad on through the rest of the year before the next pause in training at Christmas.

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Lush said the positive out of the shutdown was how proactive his swimmers had been in the online space.

“We learnt a lot about ourselves and about being adaptable which is what you need to be as great athletes because the Olympics is an environment in which you need to be able to adapt,’’ Lush said.

He said if, for some reason, his swimmers ever faced a similar situation they would be well placed in the online space.

Originally published as Queensland elite Olympic Games swimming prospects set to return to pool training