BROOKES-PETERSON AND GRIMSEY DIG DEEP TO WIN 5KM NATONAL TITLES
Sydney, February 29: Queensland pair Trent Grimsey and Kate Brookes-Peterson both overcame adversity to win their respective five kilometre Australian Open Water Swimming Championships at the Sydney International Regatta Centre, Penrith today - to clinch places on the Telstra Dolphins Australian Swim Team for this year's FINA World Championships in Rome.
Grimsey, 20, backed up his win in yesterday's Olympic distance 10 kilometre event after overcoming a gastro scare last night to clock a smart time of 55 minutes and 43 seconds.
He was able to hold off Blacktown City's early leader Andrew Beato (55:55) and New Zealand's Kane Radford (55:56) with rising Newcastle teenager Jared Killey (56:00) the third placed Australian.
In a tightly contested women's race, defending World Championship bronze medallist, Brookes-Peterson overcame a painful strained rib cartilage which forced her out of the women's 10km race to record a courageous victory.
In a sprint finish Brookes-Peterson (59:24) held on to beat 10km winner and 2008 Olympian Melissa Gorman (59.25) by a second with Bankstown Sports, NSW youngster Stace Hansford (1:00.00) taking the bronze from Victoria's Junior Pan Pac winner Belinda Bennett (1:00.01) in another thrilling finale.
"I didn't think I was going to race the way I felt last night but I woke up this morning feeling a whole lot better," Grimsey said.
"I felt okay in the warm up and I think my coach John Rodgers made our minds up that I was going to swim no matter what."
Grimsey came from behind after a fresher Beato, one of the few swimmers in the field who did not contest the 10km race, took it out from the outset.
Beato led through the three-kilometre mark before Grimsey made a move to swim a different course and he was able to steal a break away.
"I was actually glad to see Andrew come through into second after he worked so hard early in the race," Grimsey said.
"Andrew took the race out and as he was one of the few who did not swim the 10km race I knew he would be fresh.
"We sat with him until around the three kilometre mark when I took a different course to try and get away."
The tactic proved successful and Grimsey landed his second swim at this year's FINA World Championships in Rome and will now be joined by NSWIS scholarship holder Beato.
Brookes-Peterson was forced to take pain-killers just to get to the start line and certainly surprised herself after swimming in pain for five kilometres yesterday.
"I turned to breathe at around the 2.5km mark and felt a painful twinge in my ribs and continued to swim in vain until around the 7.5km mark when I was forced out of the water," said Brookes-Peterson, who won bronze in both the 5 and 10km at the 2007 World Championships in Rome.
"I saw my Physio, had some treatment and some pain killers and decided I just had to do it. I had done so much hard work; I didn't want to waste the preparation.
"I made a break at the 500 metre mark and was determined to keep going to the finish no matter what happened...I wanted a place on the team for Rome.
"I could see Mel (Gorman) coming at me in the closing lap and I just prayed she wasn't towing the rest of the field with her.
"She caught me and with 20 metres to go I just said ‘ready set go' and I put my head down and went for the finish... I knew I was fit enough and fast enough and I just had to hold on for dear life.
"My coach John Papuni has me fitter than I've ever been in my life and in the end it paid off - I am just so relived and happy to be on the team."
With the 25km event remaining tomorrow, six swimmers have qualified for the 2009 Telstra Dolphins Australian Swim Team for the FINA World Championships.
They are:
Trent Grimsey (QLD): 5 and 10km
Rhys Mainstone (WA): 10km
Andrew Beato (NSW): 5km
Melissa Gorman (QLD): 5km, 10km
Danielle DeFrancesco (QLD): 10km
Kate Brookes-Peterson (QLD): 5km
AUSTRALIAN OPEN WATER SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS, Sydney International Regatta Centre, Penrith, 5km finals:
MEN
Open
T Grimsey (Albany Creek, QLD) 55:53
A Beato (Blacktown City, NSW) 55:55
K Radford (New Zealand) 55:56
17-18 years
K Radford (New Zealand) 55:56
J Killey (Hunter, NSW) 56.00
S Sheppard (Nunawading, VIC) 56:04.78
16 years
L Friess (Liverpool, NSW) 57:31
K Logan (Southside Aquatics, QLD) 58:04
M Halson (Surrey Park, VIC) 58:53
15 years
J Beard (Bayside, NSW) 58:58
J Richardson (Albany Creek, QLD) 1:00.51
H Child (Victoria Park, WA) 1:00.56
14 years
N Barrett (Gardens, QLD) 58:33.06
C Arthur (Gardens, QLD) 58:34.31
J Poort (Coolum Peregian, QLD) 1:00.44.99
13 years
J Harrison (Pro-Ma Miami, QLD) 1:01.45
H Cumming (St Peters Western, QLD) 1:04.00
A Ferderer (Corrimal, NSW) 1:04.38
Multi Disability
P Donachie (Campbelltown, NSW) 1:14.59
WOMEN
Open
K Brookes-Peterson (Nerang, QLD) 59:24
M Gorman (Redcliffe Leagues Lawnton, QLD) 59:25
S Hansford (Bankstown Sports, NSW) 1:00.00
17-18 years
S Hansford (Bankstown Sports, NSW) 1:00.00
R McLean (Casuarina Crocs, NT) 1:01.05
J Traficante (Telopea, NSW) 1:01.16
16 years
L McNamara (Surrey Park, VIC) 1:02.10
C Zillman (Yeronga Park, QLD) 1:02.42
K McCrae (Epping Bullets, NSW) 1:04.29
15 years
S Watts (Cherrybrook Carlile, NSW) 1:04.41
E McNeill (TSS Aquatics, QLD) 1:04.43
M Owen (Galston, NSW) 1:05.02
14 years
B Robertson (Surrey Park, VIC) 1:04.16
E Suters (Campbelltown, NSW) 1:04.19
C Hansford (Bankstown Sports, NSW) 1:04.22
13 years
M Orsmond (Palm Beach Currumbin, QLD) 1:04.21
C Friess (Liverpool, NSW) 1:05.56
S Greene (St Peters Western, QLD) 1:06.30
Multi Disability
T Van Roosmalen (Mingara Aquatics, NSW) 1:13.16