The 8-strong Australian open water roster for this summer’s World Championships has just been revealed.
Kyle Lee, Nick Sloman and Jack Wilson comprise the men’s portion of the roster while Bailey Armstrong, Bianca Crisp, Maddy Gough, Chelsea Gubecka and Moesha Johnson will represent the women. Of the lineup, Crisp and Wilson are set to make their Australian Dolphins debut.
Per the Swimming Australia selection policy for Fukuoka, athletes were selected based on performances rendered at January’s Australian 10k Championships as well as last month’s LEN 10k series race in Eilat, Israel. The first and second-ranked male and female athletes who accrued the most points based on the combined point score from both the Championships and the LEN Cup race were considered for Fukuoka selection.
Sloman and Gubecka took the 10k national titles in Busselton Jetty, while Sloman was also the highest-placed men’s 10k finisher in Eilat (6th). Lee placed 8th in that LEN race while Gubecka and Gough took the gold and silver.
As a reminder, this year’s Open Water World Championships hold added significance for those athletes contesting the 10km event, with a podium finish in Fukuoka doubling as automatic qualification for next year’s Paris Olympic Games.
Swimming Australia High-Performance Director, Tamara Sheppard, commented on the swimmers’ selection, “We are delighted for these athletes as selection in this World Championships team not only caps months of hard work in training, but also acknowledges their ability to execute across two competitive racing opportunities,” Sheppard said.
“The depth in our Open Water program is increasingly strong and that drives long term competitive benefits as these athletes continue to push each other not only for a place on this team, but places on international podiums.”
“These World Championships will be a fantastic platform to continue to demonstrate their international capability and acts as the first opportunity for an Olympic qualification spot.”
Australian Dolphins 2023 Open Water World Championships Team
Bailey Armstrong (USC Spartans) – 10k
Bianca Crisp (Yeronga Park) – 5k
Maddy Gough (Carlile) – 10k
Chelsea Gubecka (Yeronga Park) – 10k
Moesha Johnson (Griffith University) – 5k
Kyle Lee (North Coast) – 5k
Nick Sloman (Noosa) – 10k
Jack Wilson (North Coast) – 5k
Head Coach – Mel Tantrum
Team Coaches – Chris Nesbit (Carlile) and Ian Mills (North Coast)
Bailey Armstrong is a male swimmer, so you know. 4 x men, 4 x women selected