WATERLOGGED DOLPHINS PRIMED FOR JUNIOR PAN PACS

GUAM, January 5: Australia's next crop of Olympic swimming hopefuls have already endured an arduous, waterlogged beginning to this year's Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, due to start here on Thursday.

The 32-strong group of Telstra Dolphins touched down in Guam at 3am yesterday morning after an 18-hour journey from Sydney. Ian Hanson reports...

The Australians had their first training session last night in the open air 50m pool that will also host some of the world's best juniors from the USA, Canada, Japan and New Zealand.

They were also greeted by torrential rain and many of the team had rarely swum out-doors let alone swum in the extreme conditions that engulfed the LeoPalace Resort complex.

But the long trip and tropical conditions have certainly not dampened the enthusiasm of an exciting group who have they eyes on positions on the Australian open team over the next four years leading into the 2012 London Olympics.

The delegation is led by Australia's National Head Coach Alan Thompson, who steered Australia to a 20-medal haul at last year's Olympics in Beijing.

"This is a very exciting group indeed and there is no doubt we could see some of these guys break into the open team as early as this year's World Championships," said Thompson.

"Along with National Youth coach Leigh Nugent we have been buoyed by the progress some of these swimmers have made and we believe they are ready for further improvements.

"The Junior Pan Pac meets from 2005 and 2007 have seen 13 swimmers, including 2008 Olympic gold medallists Stephanie Rice, Bronte Barratt and Angie Bainbridge, graduate to the Olympic team so you can see it is the breeding ground for the future."

Some of the swimmers who have already started the year in exciting form are Queensland trio Jayden Hadler, Amy Smith and Brittany Elmslie, who produced some outstanding performances at the Queensland Championships.

Throw in the likes of Ellen Fullerton, Samantha Marshall, Ellese Zalewski, Thomas Fraser-Holmes, Jarred Goldthorpe, Ryan Napoleon and Lachlan Staples and the team is chockfull of emerging stars.

The strike rate from Australia's thriving junior development program - under the guidance of Nugent and Thompson - has been right on target.

Among the class of 2005 were Grant Brits, Nick D'Arcy, Andrew Lauterstein, Kenrick Monk, Kirk Palmer and Alicia Coutts while from the 2007 team came Sam Hamill, Meagen Nay, Belinda Hocking and Emily Seebohm.

And there is no reason to suggest that the class of 2009 will be any different.

Hadler has been just one of the rising stars of National Age swimming - winning five gold medals at last year's Australian Championships while competing for the Southern Cross Saints at Scarborough, north of Brisbane - setting a new 14 years Australian record in the 100m butterfly - clocking 55.92.

The 15-year-old Hadler has continued to show why he will be just one of the swimmers to watch throughout 2009 with some amazing performances at the recent Queensland State Championships at the Sleeman Aquatic Centre.

He made a lot of people sit up and take notice when he clocked a time of 2:01.97 to break 1984 Olympic gold medallist Jon Sieben's Australian All-Comers record of 2:02.94 (set in 1982) and Japan's Takashi Yamamoto's Queensland All-Comers record of 2:02.72.

It is interesting to note that the 15 years Australian Age record of 1:56.50 was set by none other than Michael Phelps at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and the Australian All-Comers record of 2:00.28 was set by the great Ian Thorpe in 1998.

But later in the week he lined up in the open 200m butterfly and went about demolishing Thorpe's mark to set another new Australian All-Comers record with an extraordinary time of 1:58.67.

Apart from Phelps, who has gone on to become the world's greatest swimmer with his record eight gold medals at this year's Beijing Olympics, there would not be too many other 15-year-olds who have swum one of swimming's toughest events, any faster.

The four-day pool competition gets underway on Thursday (Heats 9am and Finals at 4:30pm - Guam and AEST). January 8-11.

The 10km open water competition will be conducted at 9am on Monday, January 12.

2009 Telstra Dolphins Junior Pan Pacific Championships Team, Guam, January, 8-12:

MEN

Christopher Ashwood 16 (SOPAC, NSW)
Daniel Crook 18 (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC)
Tommaso D'Orsogna 17 (West Coast, WA)
Thomas Fraser-Holmes 16 (Hunter, NSW)
Jared Goldthorpe 18 (Bayside Swim, NSW)
Jayden Hadler 15 (Commercial, QLD)
Alex Kelshaw 17 (Blacktown City, NSW)
Jarrod Killey 17 (Hunter, NSW)
Rhys Mainstone 18 (City of Perth, WA)
Hayden McEvoy 17 (Pro-Ma Miami, QLD)
Ned McKendry 16 (St Peters Western, QLD)
Jeremy Meyer 17 (Traralgan, VIC)
Ryan Napoleon 18 (St Peters Western, QLD)
George O'Brien 16 (Brisbane Jets, QLD)
Declan Potts 16 (Norwood, SA)
Daniel Smith 17 (Pro-Ma Miami, QLD)
Lachlan Staples 18 (KingSwim, NSW)

WOMEN

Jessicah Ash 17 (Norwood, SA)
Belinda Bennett 16 (Nunawading, VIC)
Danielle DeFrancesco 16 (Pro-Ma Miami, QLD)
Brittany Elmslie 14 (Coolum Peregian, QLD)
Blair Evans 17 (City of Perth, WA)
Ellen Fullerton 15 (Pro-Ma Miami, QLD)
Amy Levings 16 (Pro-Ma Miami, QLD)
Grace Loh 17 (CA Tritons, VIC)
Samantha Marshall 16 (Cook & Philip, NSW)
Jenni O'Neil 16 (Norwood, SA)
Tiffany Papaemanouil 17 (Norwood, SA)
Amy Smith 18 (St Peters Western, QLD)
Bridgette-Rose Taylor 18 (Brothers, QLD)
Tessa Wallace 15 (Pelican Waters Caloundra, QLD)
Ellese Zalewski 16 (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC)

Head Coach: Alan Thompson

Open Water Head Coach: Greg Towle

Coaches: Peter Bishop (Norwood, SA), Denis Cotterell (Pro-Ma Miami, QLD), Stephen Garner (Cook & Philip, NSW), Zane King (KingSwim, NSW),  Matt Magee, (City of Perth, WA), Jon Shaw (Bayside Swim, NSW), Nick Veliades (Nunawading, VIC).

Support Staff

Raelene Ryan (Manager), Nic Baker (Assistant Manager), Jim Bonstock (Physiotherapist), Jessica Corones (Sports Science), Ian Hanson (Media Manager).