Sydney teens in Japan and hoping to make a splash for 2020 (with pix)

 

Swimming Australia: August 5, 2018: Two Sydney teenagers are planning an assault on the best swimmers in the world and they are leaving no stone unturned in the run down to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Everything from 10 swim sessions a week to highly effective recovery using ice-baths, compression boots, rigorous stretching and gym sessions to carefully delivered nutritional plans and scientific testing.

Matthew Wilson and Bradley Woodward were both amongst the medallists in Australia’s record breaking Commonwealth Games swimming team on the Gold Coast in April – Wilson in breaststroke and Woodward in backstroke.

The two 19-year-olds – both from regional areas – Wilson from the Blue Mountains and Woodward from the NSW Central Coast, know they have to do whatever it takes to race against the best – and hard work in the pool followed by rest and recovery are holding the keys to their success

They are in Japan at the moment with the Australian Dolphins Swim Team camp in Nagaoka, getting acclimatised with under two years to go when the youth of the world will again converge on Japan for the second time since Tokyo first hosted the Games in 1964.

Back then a young NSW swimmer by the name of Ian O’Brien – born in Wellington – but trained for the Olympics by Forbes Carlile and Terry Gathercole – came from no where to win the Olympic gold in the 200m breaststroke.

Now some half a century later the firm of Wilson and Woodward are hoping to the turn the clock back.

Games bronze medallist Wilson – like O’Brien has the 200m breaststroke as his main event and Woodward – a silver medallist in the 100 and 200m backstroke on the Gold Coast, both train under coach Adam Kable at the NSWIS Technical Hub at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre.

And next week they will take on the best in the world at the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships featuring National teams from Australia, the USA, Canada and Japan, the four charter Nations among 16 countries.

Kable, himself a former top level swimmer, is guiding his two young charges to the next level.

“This is one last big push before the Pan Pacs,” said Kable, after a tough set in the Nagaoka pool last night.

“Now it’s on to full active recovery, swim down 600 to 700 metres, they’ll do some stretching and jump in the ice baths…we are still in some pretty good work…it’s starting to fall away a bit…the intensity’s still there….the volume will start to drop quite significantly.

“This competition will be a tough ask against world class swimmers….it will be a really good challenge but recovery is so important for this time of the year.

“We want to perform more frequently throughout the taper….to prepare them to swim fast again….soon…we really need to focus on our recovery.”

Woodward admitted recovery was a massive thing.

“Particularly around taper time….I find if I don’t recover as well and do the things properly it really affects the training for the rest of the week.

“I have to make sure I get in and do everything right; my warm down …stretching…sugaring…if I do that I race a lot better and I can train a lot better as well.

“And the Normatec recovery boots are a key..making sure my legs are fresh for the next day and (so) I recover the best I possibly can.

“I’ve come here to swim some personal bests and to make a few finals and put my foot down and stamp my authority against some of the best in the world.”

Wilson likened his challenge to the NSW State of Origin team taking on Queensland at Lang Park.

“Maybe we can turn the tide too,” said Wilson.

The team will leave Nagaoka for Tokyo on Monday.

Competition starts on August 9.