SUPERSTARS OF THE POOL LINE UP FOR DUEL IN THE POOL
April 24: The 2009 FINA World Championship and National Youth teams from Australia and Japan will go head-to-head in the first Duel In The Pool between the two countries at the AIS in Canberra on May 9 and 10.
The Duel In The Pool concept will see the overall teams battle it out for supremacy and the men's and women's teams also fighting for bragging rights. The meet follows Australia's recent Duel Meets against the USA in 2003, 2005 and 2007.
Australia's Telstra Dolphins will be led by its host of Olympic stars, including Eamon Sullivan, Andrew Lauterstein, Brenton Rickard and Hayden Stoeckel in the men's team and the women by Stephanie Rice, Libby Trickett, Cate Campbell and Jessicah Schipper while Japan will unveil four of its 2009 world ranked number one stars from their recent National Championships.
Olympic finalists Irie Ryosuke and Ken Takakuwa and rising breaststroke star Yuta Suenaga will spearhead a very strong Japanese men's team while breaststroke pair Rio Kaneto and Nanaka Tamura will lead the Japanese women.
Ryosuke, the world ranked number one in the 200m backstroke at 1:54.02, will provide stiff opposition for Australian backstroke pair Stoeckel and Ashley Delaney (1:55.82) who is currently ranked number two in the world behind Ryosuke.
In the absence of Japan's four-time Olympic champion Kosuke Kitajima, Suenaga (2:08.77) will line up against Australia's Olympic silver medallist over 200m breaststroke in Rickard and his Olympic team mate, Christian Sprenger.
Suenaga will be well supported by fellow world ranked number one, Takakuwa (1:57.24) who will keep Australia's Leith Brodie honest in the 200m individual medley.
Kaneto has emerged as one of the world championship favourites in the women's 200m breaststroke with her stunning time of 2:22.33 at the Japanese Nationals but Australian pair Sally Foster and Sarah Katsoulis are very much on the move.
The Australian team will be in Canberra for their pre-World Championship Orientation Camp between May 6 and May 13.
The meet will be televised on Channel Ten's 24/7 sports network ONE HD (See times below)