RISING SURF-SWIM STAR CHELSEA GILLETT POOLS HER TALENTS

Surf Life Saving Australia, July 24, 2013: MAROOCHYDORE Surf life Saving club’s rising surf-swim star Chelsea Gillett’s busy year in the water continues this weekend when she tackles the Australian Surf Lifesaving Pool Rescue Championships on the eve of her departure for the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships.

The versatile 16-year-old, who has been a Queensland Nipper and former Under 14 Ironwoman champion, is well on the way towards being one of Australia’s latest dual surf and swim internationals.

The Damien Jones coached freestyler from Brisbane-based Clayfield Aquatics, has already represented Australia and won gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay at the Australian Youth Olympics in Sydney in January before embarking on a busy summer at the Queensland, Inter-State and Australian Surf Life Saving Championships and the Australian Age Swimming Championships, which earned her selection in the Australian Junior Swim team.

And she now has her sights set on representing Australia not only in the pool but also at the 2014 World Life Saving Championships at Rescue 2014 in France next year.

Chelsea collected gold in the Under 17 Surf Race and Taplin at the Queensland State Surf Titles and bronze in the Under 17 Surf Race behind club-mate Lana Rogers and Manly’s Georgia Miller, who won gold in the open surf at this year’s Aussies.

Her times in the pool and her performances in the surf have already earned her selection in the Australian Life Saving training Squad for France alongside the likes of surf stars Shannon Eckstein and Courtney Hancock and Olympic swimmer Ryan Napoleon.

Friday will see her contest the gruelling 200 metres obstacles event on day one of the three-day Australian Pool Rescue Championships at Brisbane’s Sleeman Aquatic Centre where she will attempt to break the Australian record.

The record stands at 2:11.58, set at last year’s Rescue 2012 in Adelaide by Sophie Taylor, a team mate of Gillett’s at this year’s Australian Youth Olympic Festival.

But her outstanding silver medal winning 200m long course time of 1:59.92 behind World Championship team member Amy Matsuo at this year’s Australian Age Swimming Championships will place her in a good position over the obstacle course which requires the swimmer to dive under eight submersed obstacles over the four 50m laps.

She will then fly out for Dubai via a training camp in Qatar with the Australian Swimming Team for the 2013 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships where she will contest the 200 metres freestyle and possibly the 50 and 100m freestyle and relays.

Australian Life Saving Team head coach Danny Short knows he has a live one in the talented 16-year-old.

“I actually expect Chelsea to go close to the open record in her age group 200m Obstacles race before she heads off to Dubai,” said Short.

“She is a very exciting prospect indeed who has come through the surf club movement, combining her surf skills with her undoubted pool swimming ability.

“It was great to have Chelsea in our National Squad camp at Coolangatta recently and we look forward to following her progress in both stillwater and surf.”

The Surf Life Saving Australia Pool Lifesaving Championships will be conducted over three days, culminating on Sunday and will be another opportunity for members of the Australian Rescue 2014 Squad to continue to develop and race as they prepare for Rescue 2014 in France.

Several members of the Australian team to race at the International Surf Rescue Challenge at Chiba in Japan next month will also be in attendance at the Sleeman Aquatic Centre this weekend, including Miranda Bell, Rachelle King, Tim Schofield and Eliza Smith.

Short knows that this weekend is another step on the path towards Australia regaining international supremacy at Rescue 2014.

“I am expecting elite swimmers such as Chelsea Gillett to go close to breaking the Australian record in the 200m obstacle race and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Northcliffe’s Miranda Bell have a good crack at regaining her World Record in the Superlifesaver event,” said Short.

“Not to be outdone, I am also expecting to see her twin brother Sam be the first Australian under 2:10s for men’s Superlifesaver.”

The pool championships will also provide athletes with a chance to impress the National selectors as they go about selecting a team to contest the BeNe Cup and German Cup in Europe in November.

“The European tour is probably our most important development opportunity,” says Short.

“Plenty of racing but importantly, it provides us with a couple of weeks to train hard together and spend time with the Dutch team developing our skills at the state-of-the art Pieter Van den Hoogenband Aquatic Centre.

“This sort of tour could be of most benefit to our newest squad member, if selected, Olympian Napoleon.”

Short was excited to have Napoleon back in the country in a couple of weeks after his successful World University Games results including a gold medal in the 400m freestyle.

“Ryan is back in a couple of weeks and I know he is very excited to get back into work and contribute to our squad and what we are trying to achieve” Short said.

Australia will contest the BeNe Cup in Antwerp and Eindhoven and then travel to Warendorf, Germany to compete in the pre-eminent pool lifesaving competition in the world, the German Cup.

“A development team will be selected sometime in early September and will be entirely focused on potential performance at Rescue 2014.

“We also hope to send a small group of athletes to the New Zealand Pool Life Saving Championships in October” Short added.

Issued on behalf of Surf Life Saving Australia...

Ian Hanson

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