Australian swimmers reluctant to compete in 1500m freestyle event at the 2011 World Championships
After producing legendary 1500m freestyle swimmers, Kieren Perkins and Grant Hackett, Swimming Australia is now lacking a 1500m freestyle swimmer in their squad to compete at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai, this July.
Potential Australian swimmers have refused to participate in the 1500m freestyle at the 2011 World Championship. Just five weeks before the national trials of Australia’s swimming team selection for the upcoming World Championships, the country is without the nomination of any participant in the 1500m freestyle event.
Australia’s Robert Hurley, who succeeded for the selection standards of 1500m freestyle in 15:08.00 minutes last year, has abandoned the event this year. Hurley considered the central distance events, 200m and 400m freestyle, to be more suitable for him.
After having great long distance swimmers like Hackett and Perkins, it is very disappointing for Australia to have no swimmer participating in the event. Like Hurley, another favourable candidate for the 1500m freestyle in the Australian team is Ryan Napoleon, but he also considers himself more appropriate for the 200m and 400m freestyle events.
Teenage Australian swimmer, Chris Ashwood, ranks third on the Australian list, but he is taking a break from the sport as has not been in the swimming pool for a while.
The remaining Australian swimmers are not eligible for the new time qualification standards provided by the international aquatics sport governing body, Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA).
In addition, Hackett’s coach, Denis Cotterell, has been attached with a Chinese swimmer, Sun Yang and the athlete is expected to break Hackett’s 10-year old record of the 1500m freestyle at these world titles. Cotterell considers the non-availability of participants as a bad patch for Australia and he is afraid that Australia will not be able to present any long distance swimmer at the moment.
Hackett expressed his disappointment on Australia having no participation in the 1500m event at these World Championships. He also said that his record being targeted by another swimmer when Australian athletes are not part of the event is a let-down for him.
Hackett contacted Swimming Australia with his raised concern to review their training programme and remove unnecessary issues. He said, “It's getting harder to convince people to do the work required and now we don't have a great 1500m swimmer to get the next generation engaged.”
Along with Hackett’s concern, Perkins is also not happy with Australia’s position. According to him, athlete advisors should preach the tradition to younger generations, as this used to be Australia’s main event from a very long period of time.
Apart from the selection standards of 1500m freestyle, the Shanghai selection method had also raised qualification issues for male swimmers in several other events including the 400m Individual Medley and 50m freestyle.
The Australian swimming national head coach, Leigh Nugent, admired the challenge for young swimmers and said, “It will be a challenge to some people, but this is where we need to be to go to Shanghai with a competitive team.”
Furthermore, Hackett stressed that the Australian swimming board should pay attention towards producing a potential 1500m event swimmer, who could bring back the title of the distant freestyle event for the country.
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