WHIZ KID KUKLA NAMED IN YOUTH TEAM FOR DUEL IN THE POOL

April 29: Swimming's latest whiz-kid Yolane Kukla has been named in Australia's 30-strong Youth Team to contest the Duel in The Pool against Japan at the AIS in Canberra next month.

Kukla, at 13, is the youngest member of the Youth Team and her selection comes after a spate of Australian records at the Australian Age Championships in Sydney.

The St Peters Western Lutheran College Year Nine will rub shoulders with the stars of Australia's Telstra Dolphins team bound for this year's FINA World Championships - Stephanie Rice, Libby Trickett, Jessicah Schipper, Eamon Sullivan and Andrew Lauterstein.

The two Australian teams go head-to-head with the star-studded Japanese teams in the exciting Duel In The Pool concept on May 9 and 10 - in the middle of Australia's World Championship Orientation Camp.

For the first time there will be Open and Youth team's verses Japan in the two-day meet at the new-look AIS complex, which will also feature the innovative FINA approved blocks for the first time.

Kukla captured the attention of the swimming community, clocking times faster than Olympic stars Trickett, Cate Campbell and Emily Seebohm at the same age in freestyle, butterfly and backstroke.

Kukla's 100 metre freestyle time of 55.26 would have seen her finish seventh in the Australian open final, just outside a place on the 4x100m freestyle relay team for this year's World Championships.

The Michael Palfery-coached former gymnast also clocked Australian record times of 59.97 in the 100m butterfly and 1:03.33 in the 100m backstroke as well as a slick 25.43 in the 50m freestyle - just a touch slower than her best of 25.35 swum in Brisbane in February (the ninth fastest ever by an Australian).

Australia has contested three Duel Meets in 2003 (Indianapolis), 2005 (Irvine) and 2007 (Sydney), losing all three to the might of the world's number one team, the USA.

Australia's National Head Coach Alan Thompson is excited with the youth team, which also includes swimmers like Leiston Pickett (Southport Olympic, QLD), Jade Neilsen (Pro-Ma Miami, QLD) and Tessa Wallace (Pelican Waters/Caloundra, QLD/QAS), who only just missed World Championship selection and promising men Thomas Fraser-Holmes (Hunter, NSW/AIS), Garth Kates (SOPAC Swim Club/NSWIS), Sam Ashby (Nunawading VIC/VIS) and Ben Treffers (Burley Griffin, NSW/AIS).

"It is a great opportunity for youngsters like Yolane to mix with other swimmers in a team environment and also rub shoulders with our senior team in what will be a very competitive meet in deed," said Thompson.

"The Japanese teams will be very fast in both the open and youth teams and with the meet to be televised in Australia and Japan it adds an extra air of excitement."

Over 50 percent of the Australian Youth Team will be made up of representatives from this year's Junior Pan Pac and Australian Youth Olympic Teams and last year's Commonwealth Youth Games.

The team also includes:

• Six swimmers from the Gold Coast - with Gene Kubala (North End Aquatics,QLD), Daniel Smith (Pro-Ma Miami), Katie Goldman (Pro-Ma Miami) and Kelly Marquenie (Pro-Ma Miami) joining Leiston Pickett and Jade Neilsen.

• SOPAC brother and sister distance freestyle combination of Jessica and Christopher Ashwood.
• Port Macquarie, NSW 100m freestyle speedster James Magnussen.
• Traralgon Victoria's emerging breaststroker Jeremy Meyer, who won the National Age breaststroke double in Sydney and;
• Trinity Grammar 16-year-old Kenneth To - who won five gold medals at the Australian Age Championships.

TELECAST TIMES:

NETWORK TEN: ONE HD: Saturday, May 9: 6pm to 8.20pm and Sunday, May 10: 5pm to 7.30pm. REPLAYS: The Saturday program will be replayed on Tuesday May 12 at 2.30pm and the Sunday will be replayed on Wednesday May 13 at 2.30pm.