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SYDNEY, March 29: Australia will send one of its strongest ever Olympic swimming teams to this year’s Beijing Games with seven individual long-course world record holders named in a 42-strong squad here on Saturday.
The traditional swimming power finalised its team after the national trials which netted eight world records, headed by the sport’s current fastest male and female swimmers, Eamon Sullivan and Libby Trickett.
Sullivan and Trickett broke 50-metre freestyle world records during the trials to underline Australia’s sprinting strength.
Australia’s other current long-course world record holders are Grant Hackett, Leisel Jones, Jessicah Schipper, Stephanie Rice and Sophie Edington.
Hackett, bidding for a record three Olympic 1500m gold medals in Beijing, will be joined by fellow triple Olympians Jones, Adam Pine and Ashley Callus.
Twelve other swimmers are off to their second Olympics and there are 26 Olympic rookies, with backstroker Emily Seebohm the youngest member of the team aged 15.
The team announcement came after the conclusion of what has been rated one of the fastest national Olympic trials staged in the country.
There were eight world records, a further 13 Commonwealth records and another four Australian records established during the eight-day competition.
The Olympic team announcement at the Sydney Olympic pool was made in front of a gathering of Olympic gold medallists including Dawn Fraser, Shane Gould, John Devitt, Murray Rose, John Konrads, Michelle Ford and Jon Seiben.
Squads:
Men’s: Grant Brits (4x100m/4x200m freestyle relay), Leith Brodie (200m IM), Ashley Callus (50 freestyle), Nick D’Arcy (200m butterfly), Ashley Delaney (100m/200m backstroke), Nicholas Frost (4x100m/4x200m freestyle relay), Grant Hackett (400m/1500m freestyle), Andrew Lauterstein (100m butterfly), Kenrick Monk (200m freestyle), Patrick Murphy (4x100m/4x200m freestyle relay), Travis Nederpelt (400m IM, 200m butterfly), Kirk Palmer (4x100m/4x200m freestyle relay), Adam Pine (100m butterfly), Brenton Rickard (100m/200m breaststroke), Christian Sprenger (100m/200m breaststroke), Nic Sprenger (200m freestyle), Craig Stevens (400m/1500m freestyle), Hayden Stoeckel (100m/200m backstroke), Eamon Sullivan (50m/100m freestyle), Matt Targett (100m freestyle).
Women’s: Angie Bainbridge (4x100m/4x200m freestyle relay), Bronte Barratt (200m/400m freestyle), Cate Campbell (50m/100m freestyle), Alicia Coutts (200m IM), Lara Davenport (4x100m/4x200m freestyle relay), Sophie Edington (100m backstroke), Sally Foster (200m breaststroke), Felicity Galvez (4x100m/4x200m freestyle relay), Samantha Hamill (400m IM, 200m butterfly), Belinda Hocking (200m backstroke), Leisel Jones (100m/200m breaststroke), Linda MacKenzie (200m/400m freestyle), Alice Mills (4x100m/4x200m freestyle relay), Meagen Nay (200m backstroke), Kylie Palmer (800m freestyle), Shayne Reese (4x100m/4x200m freestyle relay), Stephanie Rice (200m/400m IM), Jessicah Schipper (100m/200m butterfly), Melanie Schlanger (4x100m/4x200m freestyle relay), Emily Seebohm (100m backstroke), Libby Trickett (100m butterfly, 50m/100m freestyle), Tarnee White (100m breaststroke).—AFP
