SWIMMERS SUIT THEMSELVES AND RECORDS READY TO FALL
On the eve of the 13th FINA World Swimming Championships in Rome, 2004 Athens Olympic silver medallist, BROOKE HANSON looks beyond the change rooms to see a revolving door of swim suits and world records....
The Telstra Dolphins Australian Swim Team will go into battle at the Foro Italico on Sunday with some of their biggest names missing, including Olympic gold medallists Leisel Jones and Kylie Palmer who have been joined on the side line by individual Olympic medallists Eamon Sullivan and Hayden Stoeckel.
The shock late withdrawal of Sullivan and Stoeckel has been a major blow but the Dolphins still have the depth to continue their strong performances at an international level.
They will certainly take inspiration from Melissa Gorman's stunning gold medal swim in the 5km event.
The team have had their final time trials in the in Manchester staging camp and arrived into Rome yesterday looking ready to once again take on the world's best.
The eight day program kicks off this Sunday (July 26) and personal bests will be broken, medals won and numerous world records will be set.
There have been some sizzling times clocked in all the suits by teams in training camps all over the world and indications are that world records will be tumbling like nine pins.
But the biggest question is. Who will win the war of swim suits?
Never before in the history of the sport has there been so much concentration on what the swimmers will wear.
The swimsuit issue has caught the Aussies on the hop, with manufacturers sending their latest "flying suits" to the Dolphins camp over the past week.
The Europeans have had the benefit of trialling the suits throughout the summer competitions leading up to Rome.
Twenty-one world records were broken at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, since then there has been an influx of super fast swimsuits and world records have fallen.
After so much talk about the Speedo LZR racer bodysuit there is now more than 200 rival suits available. The major contenders in the swimsuit war include Italian-based Jaked, Adidas, Arena and Blue Seventy.
Rome will be the first world championships where athlete's suits will be checked in the marshalling room to ensure they have the FINA stamp of approval.
But the swimsuit battle is still being fought out in the pool, with manufacturers seen camped outside team hotels distributing suits out of the boots of their cars.
The Australians have had access to all of the suits and will race in a wide range of suits.
Who will win the Roma09 swimsuit war; your guess is as good as mine?
The sad thing is that some of our greatest ever world marks the 400m freestyle (3:40.17 - set by Ian Thorpe in Fukuoka in 2001); the 800 metres (7:38.65 - set by Grant Hackett in Montreal in 2005) and the 1500m freestyle (14:34.56 - set by Grant Hackett in Fukuoka in 2001) could all be erased.
MICHAEL PHELPS and STEPHANIE RICE STEP OUT
The two super stars of Beijing will be back in action with Olympic gold medallists USA's Michael Phelps and Australia's Stephanie Rice again the two biggest names in the sport. They are back doing what they do best and are looking to repeat their world record breaking performances from 2008. Rice, who has entered the 200 and 400 IM and 200m freestyle, has struggled with an upper respiratory infection while in Manchester and unfortunately won't be at her best.
But one thing about Steph, she is a fierce competitor and will never give in.
Phelps will restrict his program to "just" six events - the 100 and 200m butterfly and 200m freestyle as well as all three relays.
NEW FACES
Just over a quarter of the Australian swim team will be made up of fresh blood with 11 rookies averaging just 19-years of age. They will be representing their country for the first time at a major long course international meet.
Watch out for these new names when they step up on the blocks: Ellen Fullerton, Blair Evans, Merindah Dingjan, Ryan Napoleon, Tommaso D'Orsogna, Christopher Wright, Stephen Parkes, Robert Hurley, Kyle Richardson, Matthew Abood and Lachlan Staples.
The seasoned campaigners will return and will be led by 33- year-old veteran Adam Pine who competed in his first World Championships in Rome in 1994.
This meet will be Pine's sixth World Swimming Championships and he's just happy to be apart of the 2009 team.
"If someone had asked me in Rome during the 1994 championships that I would be back in Rome still competing 15 years on there is no way I would have believed them" said Pine in the lead up to the championships.
Without doubt it's going to be a tough meet as not one Australian swimmer currently holds the fastest time of the year in any event.
The important focus for the team will be recording fast times in the heats to qualify in the top eight in the 400, 800 and 1500m events and the top16 for semi finals in the 50, 100 and 200m race before taking another step to secure a top eight position in the final.
After winning 21 medals at the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne, beating that tally will be a tough ask for the Dolphins.
Although with close finals racing and only a few one hundredths of a second separating the medal winners the Australian team will use their never-say-die Aussie spirit to achieve podium finishes in Rome.
BROOKE'S TOP EIGHT TO WATCH...
After clocking consistent performances over the last 12 months here are eight Aussies tipped to make a splash in Roma09:
- Ashley Delaney: Emerging young backstroker from Nunawading who will push for a medal in the 50, 100 and 200m. Has caught the eye in the Manchester training camp.
- Marieke Guehrer; Stunning re-emergence in the FINA World Cup last year who has broken through as a strong contender in the sprint fly events.
- Andrew Lauterstein: The man-of-the-moment on the Mare Nostrum tour, clocking a Commonwealth record in the 100m butterfly in Milan. Will be looking to replicate or better his Olympic bronze medal.
- Meagen Nay: The girl who has stepped up in the 200m backstroke this year to set a new Commonwealth record and has also made her mark in the 200m freestyle.
- Brenton Rickard: Olympic silver medallist in the 200m breaststroke. Will be looking to make the most of Kosuke Kitajima's absence and provide long-standing coach Vince Raleigh with a departure medal, before he goes to the Gold Coast.
- Jessicah Schipper: A change of coach to Stephan Widmer has given the defending world champion a new lease of life. Has been hampered by illness twice in this preparation but has a big heart.
- Matthew Targett: Has been one of the success stories of the Auburn University men's team this year. Will step up in the absence of Eamon Sullivan in the 100m freestyle.
- Libby Trickett: The girl who has not missed a beat all year and without doubt the most consistent performer on the Dolphins team. She will remain loyal to the Speedo LZR suit and victory for her will be just that much sweeter.
Swimming heats of the 13th FINA World Swimming Championships start on Sunday July 26 at 5pm AEST and can be seen on ONE HD with daily updates and reports on FOX Sports News and Bigpond sports weekend.