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Australians ready to live and die by performances
Source: Agencies |
July 22, 2011, Friday
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TRADITIONAL powerhouse Australia have two goals heading into the pool competition at the world swimming championships -- improve on their placing from Rome and position themselves ahead of the London Olympics, head coach Leigh Nugent said today.
The Australians won just three gold medals in the pool in Rome two years ago, a tally that disappointed a nation used to swimming success, trailing the United States, Germany and China.
"Fourth after finishing second (in Melbourne in 2007) is not really a position we wanted to be in 2009," Nugent told reporters at a media conference.
"However I think we have built a stronger team since those days and if we can finish in the top four countries and stabilize then move on to see what we can do in London.
"We have a good balance in our team ... (which) is probably a bit better than we had after the last Olympics."
Nugent was reluctant to make a medal projection ahead of the swimming, which begins on Sunday, other than that he expected to improve on the three golds and 16 total pool medals they won in Rome.
Australia finished fifth in the overall world championship standings in Rome when events such as diving, open water swimming, synchro and water polo were included.
"Three gold medals wasn't the result we were looking for in 2009 and we are certainly hoping to do better than that," he said.
"Medal projections, there's a problem with that because we can only control what we do and people can turn around and snatch the gold medal from you.
"Probably all I can say is that we want to position ourselves better, or at least as equal to what we did as a nation in 2009 and I reckon that translates into winning more than three gold medals."
Nugent said the national team's program had received a funding boost from the Australian federal government as part of a wider investment in high performance sport and there was pressure to justify that extra expenditure.
"Any sport that is a major Olympic sports are under a lot of pressure," he said.
"We don't have people coming to us every day asking us how we are going, how many medals we're going to win, though I'm sure some might like to.
"But we have to answer to our funding bodies and we are competitive people and are prepared to live and die by our performances."
The Australians have selected a squad with several swimmers making comebacks, with 32-year-old butterfly specialist Geoff Huegill racing at his first long course world championships since 2003 after coming out of retirement.
Olympic breaststroke champion Leisel Jones also took a year off from competitive swimming in 2009, while Stephanie Rice, a triple gold medal winner at Beijing, was forced out for most of 2010 after having shoulder surgery.
Huegill, however, said despite there being a few older faces returning to the team and with the expected return to competition of Ian Thorpe later this year, he felt the squad was shaping up well as they looked ahead to the London Games.
"We have an amazing group of young talent coming right through the ranks in both the men's and women's (teams)" Huegill said.
"If we can improve that's great. But ultimately the goal for every athlete that is here at this meet is (to use it as) a stepping stone for London next year."
The Australians won just three gold medals in the pool in Rome two years ago, a tally that disappointed a nation used to swimming success, trailing the United States, Germany and China.
"Fourth after finishing second (in Melbourne in 2007) is not really a position we wanted to be in 2009," Nugent told reporters at a media conference.
"However I think we have built a stronger team since those days and if we can finish in the top four countries and stabilize then move on to see what we can do in London.
"We have a good balance in our team ... (which) is probably a bit better than we had after the last Olympics."
Nugent was reluctant to make a medal projection ahead of the swimming, which begins on Sunday, other than that he expected to improve on the three golds and 16 total pool medals they won in Rome.
Australia finished fifth in the overall world championship standings in Rome when events such as diving, open water swimming, synchro and water polo were included.
"Three gold medals wasn't the result we were looking for in 2009 and we are certainly hoping to do better than that," he said.
"Medal projections, there's a problem with that because we can only control what we do and people can turn around and snatch the gold medal from you.
"Probably all I can say is that we want to position ourselves better, or at least as equal to what we did as a nation in 2009 and I reckon that translates into winning more than three gold medals."
Nugent said the national team's program had received a funding boost from the Australian federal government as part of a wider investment in high performance sport and there was pressure to justify that extra expenditure.
"Any sport that is a major Olympic sports are under a lot of pressure," he said.
"We don't have people coming to us every day asking us how we are going, how many medals we're going to win, though I'm sure some might like to.
"But we have to answer to our funding bodies and we are competitive people and are prepared to live and die by our performances."
The Australians have selected a squad with several swimmers making comebacks, with 32-year-old butterfly specialist Geoff Huegill racing at his first long course world championships since 2003 after coming out of retirement.
Olympic breaststroke champion Leisel Jones also took a year off from competitive swimming in 2009, while Stephanie Rice, a triple gold medal winner at Beijing, was forced out for most of 2010 after having shoulder surgery.
Huegill, however, said despite there being a few older faces returning to the team and with the expected return to competition of Ian Thorpe later this year, he felt the squad was shaping up well as they looked ahead to the London Games.
"We have an amazing group of young talent coming right through the ranks in both the men's and women's (teams)" Huegill said.
"If we can improve that's great. But ultimately the goal for every athlete that is here at this meet is (to use it as) a stepping stone for London next year."
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