49 Swimmers Named To Australia’s Home Games Roster

2018 AUSTRALIAN SWIMMING TRIALS

Day 1 Prelims Recap/Day 1 Finals Recap

Day 2 Prelims Recap/Day 2 Finals Recap

Day 3 Prelims Recap/Day 3 Finals Recap

Day 4 Prelims Recap/Day 4 Finals Recap

The 4-day Australian Championships, which doubled as the Commonwealth Games Trials, came to a close tonight in Southport, but not before 49 able-bodied and 21 Para Sport athletes were named to the green and gold roster for a home-based Games coming up in April.

Although the performances were on the slower end of the spectrum on the whole from what we’ve seen from Aussies in the past, keep in mind that this year is a new format where the Trials are being held much closer to the main event as a new model to tackle lagging performances in Rio and Budapest.

Overall, the most likely candidates indeed made the squad, including Emily Seebohm, Cate Campbell, Bronte Campbell, Taylor McKeown, Mitch LarkinKyle Chalmers and Cameron McEvoy. But newer faces have the potential to make a huge impact on the Aussies’ medal haul at their home Games, including youngsters Kaylee McKeown, Ariarne Titmus and Jack Cartwright.

Of the squad, Aussie Head Coach Jacco Verhaeren stated, “I am very pleased with the people that qualified. I think we’ve got, almost without exception I’d say, the best people in their best events.

“I think that’s important because if you want to defend titles and want to make the most out of the medal prospects in five weeks’ time you need your best people there. We want a full team and we want to compete in every event for medals. It’s that simple as that.”

In order to qualify for an individual event, at a high-level, roster spots were to be given to the top 3 finishers in the A final of each individual Olympic event at the Trials, provided the swimmers meet or beat the listed qualifying time.

With few of the title winners actual notching the A cuts, Verhaeren says,“The A times are the reference, top eight in the world is our goal. You know that’s our yardstick for how we track and what we want to achieve.

“And that will be the yardstick as well for Pan Pacs later on in the year because then we’re going back to A qualifying times without any exemption.

“But this is Commonwealth Games and it’s always great actually to be able to select a little bit of a broader team.

“It’s great that they can grow experience in a multidisciplinary environment like the Olympics really; and it’s one of the very rare events you actually have where you can practice being in that environment and definitely Rio and London 2012 showed that that is really necessary.”

Australian swimming team for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games (49 able-bodied, 21 Para-Sport athletes):

Jessica Ashwood (Qld), Minna Atherton (Qld), Jesse Aungles (SA), Meg Bailey (NSW), Hayley Baker (Vic), Holly Barratt (WA), Joshua Beaver (Vic), Emily Beecroft (Vic), Georgia Bohl (Qld), Rohan Bright (NSW), Bronte Campbell (Qld), Cate Campbell (Qld), Jack Cartwright (Qld), Kyle Chalmers (SA), Blake Cochrane (Qld), Ellie Cole (Qld), Timothy Disken (Vic), Katherine Downie (WA), Blair Evans (WA), Daniel Fox (Qld), Alexander Graham (Qld), Jasmine Greenwood (NSW), Madeline Groves (Qld), Matthew Haanappel (Vic),  Brenden Hall (Qld), Jessica Hansen (Vic), George Harley (WA), Timothy Hodge (NSW), Mack Horton (Vic), Liam Hunter (Qld), Zac Incerti (WA), Grant Irvine (Qld), Shayna Jack (Qld), Mitchell Kilduff (NSW), Mitchell Larkin (Qld), Paige Leonhardt (Qld), Matthew Levy (NSW), Clyde Lewis (Qld), James Magnussen (NSW), Travis Mahoney (SA), Ashleigh McConnell (Vic), Cameron McEvoy (Qld), James McKechnie (SA), David McKeon (Qld), Emma McKeon (Qld), Kaylee McKeown (Qld), Taylor McKeown (Qld), Jack McLoughlin (Qld), Kiah Melverton (Qld), David Morgan (Qld), Leah Neale (Qld), Jake Packard (Qld), Lakeisha Patterson (Qld), Leiston Pickett (Qld), Logan Powell (Qld), James Roberts (Qld), Liam Schluter (Qld), Madeleine Scott (Vic), Emily Seebohm (Qld), Mikkayla Sheridan (Qld), Zac Stubblety-Cook (Qld), Laura Taylor (Qld), Tiffany Thomas Kane (NSW), Brianna Throssell (WA), Ariarne Titmus (Qld), Ben Treffers (Qld), Tessa Wallace (Qld), Matthew Wilson (NSW), Elijah Winnington (Qld), Bradley Woodward (NSW).

Head Coach: Jacco Verhaeren

Mentor Coaches: Rohan Taylor, Jan Cameron

Coaches: Peter Bishop (SA), Michael Bohl (QLD), Dean Boxall (QLD), Harley Connolly (QLD), Simon Cusack (QLD), Nathan Doyle (QLD), Craig Jackson (VIC), Adam Kable (NSW), David Lush (QLD), Chris Mooney (QLD), Chris Nesbit (QLD), Vince Raleigh (QLD), Richard Scarce (QLD), Gavin Stewart (NSW), Yuriy Vdovychenko (ACT).

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Sum Ting Wong
6 years ago

This is not surprising . There was virtually no domestic competition all summer . There will be several dogs led by Apollo who will be wanting their own Instagram accounts unless their owners really make some decent headway .

Southern Orca
Reply to  Sum Ting Wong
6 years ago

Please explain? SUM TING

Sum Ting Wong
Reply to  Southern Orca
6 years ago

About the swim times? Well there were very few competitions over summer but the dead boring state titles .There were no Grand Prixs , no Sprint events to add excitemt eg 50s & 100s for prizemoney . Absolutely nothing & how are swimmers expected to bust out A qualifying times ( top 8 in world)? Of course they could not except for Chalmers Horton Titmus & Campbells who are the creme . Plenty of other Olympians could not . The new names eg Bradlley Woodward & the 200 Laura Taylor were some of the few who did pbs this summer & thus did wel .

I really don’t know if things will improve magically over the next 5 weeks… Read more »

Southern Orca
Reply to  Sum Ting Wong
6 years ago

Got it now The dog references I didn’t get thanks. Showing my age I know pet social media is a popular thing.

commonwombat
Reply to  Sum Ting Wong
6 years ago

Actually there was the same amount of state championships as usual. The one key difference has been the “compression” of the season/change of dates due to the timing of CG & therefore Trials. In any case, its change that they will need to get used to with the change of Natls/Trials to much closer to major events and thus the competitive season to a AUS winter one

commonwombat
Reply to  commonwombat
6 years ago

The GP meets you referenced have been held during winter as final hit outs pre major events and the Super Series “died” post Rio due to the failure to attract a naming rights sponsor and thus loss of state govt support

STRAIGHTBLACKLINE
6 years ago

With a home CG Australia was always going to select a big team. That’s what eventuated with even Minna Atherton making it on the strength of a 3rd place finish in the 50BK. Why then all the nonsense of A and B qualifying times and special rules about non-Olympic events?

Dee
Reply to  STRAIGHTBLACKLINE
6 years ago

That was the selection that stood out to me; She won’t get a swim in the 100 or 20 back, and her chances of a medal in the 50 back are slim at best. Alas, as Commonwombat says, home games allow this kind of thing. I’ve been watching a lot of nations selections in a lot of sports and most are sending less-than full strength teams across many sports (put politely)… So Australia could really mop up.

On The Top
Reply to  Dee
6 years ago

Agreed, I can’t work this one out. By that standard, Cameron Jones should have gotten picked as well for his 50 Butterfly win.

On The Top
Reply to  On The Top
6 years ago

Just checked. Atherton made the B Cut, whilst Jones was just outside.

STRAIGHTBLACKLINE
Reply to  On The Top
6 years ago

I see your point but I still think selecting someone who finished 3rd in a B time in a non-Olympic event is scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Robbos
Reply to  Dee
6 years ago

Yes this was a funny decision, Atherton was the nest big thing in Australian backstroke a couple of years ago, but has really plateau out & not developed as one had hope, not unlike many age swimmers coming into adulthood.

Verram
6 years ago

Notable ones who missed out are Maddie Wilson and Brittany Elmslie?

A lot of new guys in the team especially the bteastrokers .. I wonder whatever happened to that swimmer Josh Palmer who got into a. It of trouble in Rio? And also Jordan Harrison was promising a few years ago

skip
Reply to  Verram
6 years ago

maddie drooped the 200 back before trials started and dropped 100 back on day 1. only had 200 free, 50 free and 50 back as chances. Not likely to qualify in those events

Kelsey
Reply to  skip
6 years ago

Such a mistake. When you look at the times in the 100 back especially and Athertons plateau Wilson really should have targeted the event.

commonwombat
Reply to  Kelsey
6 years ago

Wilson’s backstroke has been “off” since Rio and she only made last year’s Worlds team as a relay swimmer for both FS relays. In reality, her most feasible path to selection was via the relay path (particularly 4×200).

skip
Reply to  commonwombat
6 years ago

they both should think about moving to spartans

Kelsey
Reply to  skip
6 years ago

I’m doubtful of Spartans – Chris Mooney can’t get Taylor McKeown to perform mentally. Kaylee is just a natural. What other swimmers does he really have? Brit should be at Commercial, SPW or Bond. Wilson needs to be with a backstroker so I get Spartans but judgements still out on their coach. She could also go to Brisbane Grammar, SPW or where Hayley Baker is (closer to Adelaide).

Kelsey
Reply to  commonwombat
6 years ago

Yes but how much is that attributed to Richard Scarce telling her to focus on freestyle? Has he told her to write off the backstroke? Cause to me that’s poor coaching. Seems like someone told her to steer clear of the backstroke incase of any mental demons after Rio. Think she needs to go chat to Em Seebohm and go get herself on the right path.

Sum Ting Wong
Reply to  Verram
6 years ago

Brittany hasn’t been the same since she left Matt Brown in 2013 becoz his intense style of training ( which brought her to 53.7/ 1.57 / 58 fly ) made her sick . Maddie did have a free pb since she went to Bond but with all the Bond squad off , she had no room in the more competitive women’s field .

They will be disappointed but must have seen it was coming as neither had in season times to carry them thru a missed taper ( putting it as positively as I can )

Kelsey
Reply to  Sum Ting Wong
6 years ago

Elmslie really isn’t in the right squad for her events. Can think of a number of other squads she could be excelling in.

Verram
Reply to  Kelsey
6 years ago

I think Elmslie was brave to ove come a cancer scare or something before Rio.. she should at least be on the same league as Shayna Jack since she has 6 years experience now in the Aussie team .. she should be swimming low 53s by now

Dee
6 years ago

Australia picked 50m winners? Good move. Shame Britain didn’t.

commonwombat
Reply to  Dee
6 years ago

Its at home so minimal expense involved. For an away Games, that may be another matter

Dee
Reply to  commonwombat
6 years ago

Indeed; But my frustration with UK sport funding remains. Such an obsession with Olympic success; It’s some weird attempt to retain some odd colonial ‘punching above your weight’ feeling… Uncomfortable.

Dudeman
Reply to  Dee
6 years ago

I saw something that only 12 people made their A qualifying times, they put together a huge team for only having 12 automatically qualify if that is in fact true

skip
Reply to  Dudeman
6 years ago

13 swimmers made the Australian selectors A qualifying time. which have nothing to do with the commonwealth games qualifying times. so in reality they all qualified. only swimming australia wants them to be faster, while still in training for the main event, so….

Dudeman
Reply to  skip
6 years ago

Oh ok I didn’t realize the qualifying times were only “goal times” in a sense. Now the bigger team makes more sense, it’s just weird to put qualifying times up if they don’t really mean anything

skip
Reply to  Dudeman
6 years ago

jacco did say a qualifying times would be strictly enforced for pan pacs. commonwealth games is a home one so we can have 3 per event i think, regardless. they all made the b times. and 13 made an a time. which isn’t too bad given a tighter timeframe.

About Retta Race

Retta Race

Former Masters swimmer and coach Loretta (Retta) thrives on a non-stop but productive schedule. Nowadays, that includes having just earned her MBA while working full-time in IT while owning French 75 Boutique while also providing swimming insight for BBC.

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