Australia Announces 53-strong Swim Team for Commonwealth Games

By Stephen J. Thomas

MELBOURNE, Australia, February 6. THE Australian Commonwealth Games Association tonight named a swim team made up 30 women and 23 men – 45 able bodied swimmers and eight EAD athletes.

Adam Pine was named on a record fourth team – the most ever by a swimmer. He has won medals in the 100 fly at the previous three Games. The oldest male is sprint champ Brett Hawke at 30 while Brooke Hanson is the oldest female at 27. Of particular interest is Joanna Fargus, 24, who makes her senior debut for Australia after representing England at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002. The youngest on the team are 15-year-old Kylie Palmer and 17-year-old Matthew Cowdrey.

The team was also notable for the non-selection of three national champions from the selection trials, due to the tough selection criteria based on world rather than Commonwealth Games rankings. Craig Stevens, winner of the 400 freestyle in 3:50.33, promising teeanger Ephraim Hannant in the 200 backstroke in 2:00.46 and Kurtis MacGillivary in the 1500 freestyle in 15:22.68 were left off the team. Medley specialist Adam Lucas missed the cut after finishing second in the 200 IM in a 2:02.65, an event he was ranked fastest in the Commonwealth in 2005 based on a time of 2:00.98.

It could be argued that selecting a team based on Commonwealth rather than World rankings would have resulted in the Aussies picking up a number off additional minor medals that will now go to other countries, as each country can enter three swimmers in each event. Based on the current team selection a number of swimmers on the team that qualified on the basis of a specific event will now have the opportunity to swim other events ahead of faster swimmers who simply did not make the team.

THE TEAM

Men: Leith Brodie (Qld), Ashley Callus (Qld), Nick Ffrost (Qld), Brett Hawke (Vic), Michael Klim (Vic), Josh Krogh (Qld), Andrew Lauterstein (Qld), Andrew Mewing (Qld), Kenrick Monk (NSW), Travis Nederpelt (WA), Jim Piper (WA), Adam Pine (Qld), Andrew Richards (NSW), Brenton Rickard (Qld), Christian Sprenger (Qld), Eamon Sullivan (WA), Matt Targett (Vic), Ian Thorpe (NSW), Matt Welsh (Vic).

Women: Bronte Barratt (Qld), Lara Carroll (WA), Sophie Edington (NSW), Jade Edmistone (Qld), Joanna Fargus (Qld), Sally Foster (Qld), Felicity Galvez (NSW), Melissa Gorman (Qld), Brooke Hanson (Vic), Jodie Henry (Qld), Leisel Jones (Qld), Libby Lenton (Qld), Danni Miatke (Vic), Linda MacKenzie (Qld), Alice Mills (Qld), Kylie Palmer (Qld), Sarah Paton (NSW), Shayne Reese (Vic), Jennifer Reilly (WA), Stephanie Rice (Qld), Giaan Rooney (Vic), Jess Schipper (Qld), Caroline South (SA), Kelly Stubbins (Vic), Tarnee White (Qld), Tayliah Zimmer (NSW).

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