Chelsea’s time to shine as Rio calls for 10km marathon swim

 

  

Swimming Australia, June 13 2016: QUEENSLAND teenager Chelsea Gubecka has timed her final lap to perfection to earn an automatic nomination to the Australian Olympic Committee for the 10km women’s marathon swim at this year’s Rio Olympic Games.

 

Gubecka finished fourth and fellow Sunshine Coaster and good friend Kareena Lee, was a close-up seventh, in today’s Olympic Qualifying race in Setabul, some 40 kilometres south of capital Lisbon.

 

The pair, who have swum with and against each other in competition and training,were rarely out of each other’s sights as they battled it out for the one available spot on the Australian team for the Games.

 

Coming into the sixth and final lap it was Lee who held on to a slender lead over Gubecka as the top 10 swimmers jostled for the best positions and those vital qualifying places in the final 1.666km swim to the finish.

 

After surviving the first five laps and with the instructions “stay in touch” ringing in their ears it was always going to come down to who was closest in the final stages.

 

And it was Gubecka  who made her debut for Australia at 2013 Fina World Championships in Barcelona at just 14, who produced the finish of her life to join the select open water field for Copacabana Beach in August.

 

 

 

In a frantic finish it was China's Xin Xin who was first to touch in 1:55:12.1 ahead of 2008 Beijing Olympic 10km silver medallist and two-time 10km world champion Keri-Anne Payne (1:55.12.9) from Great Britain with Ecuador's Samantha Arevalo (1:55.15.9) third, leading the list of qualifiers with Gubecka touching in 1:55.34.3 and Lee in 1:55.50.2.

 

Gubecka had gone close to qualifying at last year’s World Championships in Kazan, finishing 13^th – three spots shy of the automatic top 10 for Rio, extending her preparation another 10 months.

 

But it has worth the wait to put together her best ever performance.

 

Coming past the feeder pontoon for the final time, Gubecka’s coach of two years at Kawana Waters, Michael Sage raised both arms urging his young charge on.

 

And moments after her fourth-placed finish and realising her Olympic dream had come true she swam over to the pontoon and climbed up to embrace the man who had been with her day and night on her journey to Rio.

 

“It’s just so surreal. I can’t believe it really but to have Michael there and to see him and then to have my mum and dad there right on the finish and to see them was so special,” said Gubecka.

 

“I can’t thank them all enough for being there for me and also Kareena, my friend and training buddy through this preparation.

 

“We always knew one of us would make it and one of us wouldn’t, as tough as it was it was, it was always going to be hard and I’m just proud that person will be me but I know it is not the end for Kareena either.

 

“I can’t wait to see what I can bring to the table and to achieve in this next preparation leading into Rio.

 

“I have learnt so much from all of my international races and today was so exciting and it was a really rough and tough swim, you had to get in there and fight for your spot.

 

“With so many of the countries in a similar situation to Australia there were so many races within the race as well.

 

“I actually felt pretty heavy in the early stages but I knew I just had to feel my stroke and try and hold on to the end and make it as easy as possible for the first five laps.

 

“My goal was to position myself better than I had done in past races. You always learn something new in all your international appearances against the best in the world and I was glad to be able to out that into practice today.”

 

Gubecka becomes only the second Australian female swimmer to represent in the 10km after fellow Queenslander Melissa Gorman finished 10^th in the London Olympics and 15^th in Beijing at the sport’s debut.

 

Australia’s National Open Water Head Coach Ron McKeon said he was immensely proud of both girls and where they had positioned themselves on the international stage.

 

“It was a great race between the two of them, I’m proud of the way they raced, also proud of their coaches in preparing them and the support they have given each other,” said McKeon.

 

“There could only be one qualifier and Chelsea did the job today and now she’s looking forward to Rio and Kareena, while disappointed I know she is satisfied with what she has achieved and she should be equally proud of herself.”

 

Tomorrow morning (1am AEST) the Australian boys Jarrod Poort (NSW) and Simon Huitenga (WA) will go through the same process with the first swimmer in the top nine or first Oceania making the team for Rio.