Australia’s Oceania campaign kick starts with gold and silver sweep of Open Water

 

Triathlon Australia, 20 June 2016: The 20-strong Australian team for the Oceania Championships have kicked off their campaign with a bang, taking out the top two places in both the men’s and the women’s 10km Open Water events on the first morning of competition in Suva, Fiji. 

TSS Aquatic duo Alessandra Colombini and Bianca Crisp took gold and silver respectively in windy conditions in Fiji, while Jack Brazier (Gold, Kawana Waters) and Lachlan Colquhoun (Silver, TSS Aquatics) replicated those results in the corresponding men’s event.

 

Colombini, who won gold in the 17/18 years 5km Age open water championships, took top spot in the 10km event today and will contest the 5km open water and the 800m freestyle events later in the meet. Silver medallist from this morning, Crisp, will also take on the 5km event in Fiji.

 

After competing in Abu Dhabi earlier this year as international race practice, Brazier confidently conquered the swim this morning to prove his potential and grab the first gold on offer in Fiji.

 

While his team-mate 19-year-old Colquhoun, the bronze medalist in this event from the 2014 Junior Pans Pacs, stepped up to secure silver.

 

Eighteen teams from throughout the Oceania region have converged on the Fijian capital for the five-day meet, kicking off with today’s 10km events with the four-days of pool competition starting tomorrow.

 

The swimmers will certainly be in good hands with a team management structure that will see dual Olympian from 1988 and 1992 Martin Roberts as the Team Leader; noted Olympic coach Tracey Menzies from the AIS the head coach and triple Olympic gold medallist Petria Thomas the team manager.

 

The team was selected from the Swimming Australia National Talent Camp from last September with their performances at the 2016 Georgina Hope Foundation Australian Age and 2016 Hancock Prospecting Australian Championships.

 

The team will feature National Age champions Acacia Wilden-Snedden (St Peters Western, QLD), Alice Stuart (TSS Aquatics, QLD), Jack Brazier (Kawana Waters, QLD) and Alessandra Colombini (TSS Aquatics, QLD).

 

Wilden-Snedden won both the 17-18 years 400 metres freestyle (4:13.86) and 400m individual medley (4:50.80) at this year’s Australian Age.

 

In what will be a busy week for Wilden-Snedden, the 18-year-old will contest the 200 and 400m freestyle and the 200m and 400m individual medley.

 

Stuart, formerly from Sydney, won 17-18 Age gold in the 100 metres butterfly in 1:00.15 in Adelaide and will contest the 50, 100 and 200m butterfly events.

 

She will be joined by her TTS Aquatics team mates Lachlan Colquhoun, Alessandra Colombini, Bianca Crisp and Jake Kersten (50, 100, 200m freestyle).

 

Menzies is excited with the group saying “It’s an exciting young team, many who stood out in the camp and who will be representing Australia for the first time.”

 

“Don’t be surprised to see some performances that will jump out at us, the unexpected results; kids who take the next step and rise to the occasion,” said Menzies.

 

“We also have a great all-round coaching group with one of the most notable of Australian coaches Jim Fowlie joined by Matt Brown from NSW, Shaun Curtis, Richard Sleight and Mark Lorrimer.

 

“I know the team is excited and so are the coaches – they can’t wait to get started.”

The other teams who will join Australia are: Hawaii, Northern Mariana Islands, Tahiti, Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Palau, Tonga, Fiji, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Guam, New Zealand, Samoa, American Samoa, FS Micronesia, Solomon and Vanuatu.

After today’s 10km event, the four days of pool competition will start tomorrow (Tuesday, June 21) with heats at 10am (8am AEST) and Finals at 6pm (4pm AEST).

The heats and finals will be broadcast live on FijiTV1.