pullbuoy exclusive
With all the attention on the Commonwealth Games at present it is easy to forget that there is a swimming life after Manchester. For 10 of England’s games team there won’t be time to enjoy the aftermath of the Commonwealth aquatics programme, as they’ll leave almost straight from the closing ceremony and be on a plane, joined by 3 more of Britain’s rising swimming stars. The swimmers are off to the Aegean and will compete in the Greek National championships followed by two weeks warm weather training in Cyprus, in preparation for the short course season.
Coming straight off the back of the European Championships, the Greek nationals should provide another chance for those swimmers fresh from Manchester to ‘race tough’ against a different set of opponents, and will give those who missed out on the Commonwealths valuable international experience. It’s hard to say what the standard of competition will be in the pool, but there is one other, perhaps less obvious reason for heading to that part of the world at this time of year, with what is, Karen Pickering aside, a relatively young squad. Sarah Price is really looking forward to making the trip. “It will be really good to see what I can do following a proper taper for the Commonwealths” she says “I’ll also be able to try out some ‘fun’ events that I wouldn’t normally swim when I’m in such good shape”
It won’t have escaped your notice that in 2 years time, almost to the day that the squad are in Greece, a rather important swimming competition will be taking place. Of course it is the 2004 Athens Olympics, and although the Greek nationals won’t be taking place in the actual Olympic pool, (which isn’t due to be finished until late 2003), the climatic conditions and the opportunity to swim outside will provide valuable experience for those making the trip. This approach is typical of the importance Bill Sweetenham places on the Olympics, as being the only meet that matters, which also explains why no 50m specialists for the form strokes (with James Gibson now established as a 100m swimmer) are joining the group as these events are not due to form part of the Olympic programme. Price has a particular reason for wanting to go. “From a personal perspective, it will help me learn how to deal with my asthma and the atmospheric conditions in Athens” she said “I’ve had problems there in the past, so competing there at this time of year can only be a good thing in terms of the Olympics”
So how was the group selected? Well the trip wasn’t compulsory for national squad members, understandably give its proximity to the Commonwealths, so Britain’s swimmers had to ‘opt in’ to availability for selection. Having done that, the group was largely picked based on performances of available swimmers at the Commonwealth Trials back in April, with International Points Scores used to rank across different events. The squad could have been as large as 26, but the selection of only 13 swimmers reflects the fact that the squad leaves so close to Manchester, with no time to relax in between.
What isn’t clear is what happened to the original plans for a Youth Tour due to take place at around the same time, but lengthened to include the European Senior Championships in Berlin. The cynical may say that the selection times set by ASFGB were simply too tough for the age group the tour was aimed at, but equally likely is the fact that the, admittedly small, number of swimmers making the grade were picked for the Commonwealth Games.
Whatever the politics, however, with the shift to a more continuous competition calendar, tours such as this can only be in the long term interest of British swimming and will become more rather than less common. Ultimately, if any of those making this trip are standing on an Olympic medal rostrum in two years time, it will have been a resounding success.
Men:
- James Gibson
- Darren Mew
- Adam Whitehead
Women:
- Janine Belton
- Rosalind Brett
- Vicky Cook
- Charlotte Dallas
- Kate Haywood
- Nicola Jackson
- Karen Legg
- Melanie Marshall
- Karen Pickering
- Sarah Price