2010 Telstra Australian Swimming Championships: Men’s Outlook

SYDNEY, Australia, March 14. ONE of Australia's most respected swimming experts, IAN HANSON, runs his eyes over the fields for this week's Telstra Australian Swimming Championships to be swum over six days at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre, starting Tuesday.

With selection for the Commonwealth Games team for New Delhi and the Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine up for grabs for the Aussies there are bound to be some new faces emerge from the younger brigade as a host of established stars try and keep them at bay.

There is no Libby Trickett for the first time since 2002, but Leisel Jones is back after her competition layoff in 2009 and in the men all eyes will be comeback kings Geoff Huegill and Ashley Callus but there are some questions to be answered.

The major question mark hangs over sprint king Eamon Sullivan, who has had yet another setback in his career with a fifth hip operation and with some on-going complications he will not decide until Thursday morning (heats of the 100m freestyle) whether or not he will swim.

"It really is a day-by-day proposition and I will not decide until the day of the race," said Sullivan, "the one thing I have learnt over the last 12 months is patience. I am not going to rush things like I did last year. If I am not right then I won't swim. London in 2012 will remain the focus."

Today Ian Hanson looks at the men's events.

MEN

FREESTYLE

The big question mark in the 50m and 100m remains over NSWIS' former world record holder Eamon Sullivan who is racing against time to be ready for these championships after undergoing yet another hip operation which could well hinder his immediate individual hopes.

Sullivan will not decide until the day of his races – days three and four for the 100m freestyle and days five and six for the 50m.

But on the plus side, the return of dual Olympian-cum-Gold Coast real estate agent Ashley Callus adds some bricks and mortar into the men's one-lap sprint field, especially after his 22.22 to win the NSW one lapper.

Another question is whether they can dip under Frenchman Fred Bousquet's world's best time for 2010 of 21.95 set at the French International Meet in Nancy. Defending National champion Matt Abood from NSWIS will be the boy to beat and new comer James Roberts, who trains with Callus under Graeme McDonald at North End Aquatics on the Gold Coast could well be the surprise packet to look out for.

Whether or not we see Sullivan stand up in the blue ribband 100m sprint event also remains to be seen but it may be that a place in the relay could certainly be a major attraction as he again fights his way back.

Regardless, you can rest assured that Auburn-based Matt Targett, Andrew Lauterstein, Tommaso D'Orsogna, Cameron Prosser and Abood, will all put their hands up for a crack at the title – and spots on the 400m freestyle relay team.

In the 200m, World championship finalist and QAS star Kenrick Monk will relish the opportunity to return home to Sydney for a crack at the title after mixing it with the big guns in Rome last year.

He won't want to miss another chance between now and London in 2012 after the disappointment of Beijing. Anyone who beats the big fella will deserve the gold.

Those breathing down his neck will be the bronzed boys from the 800m relays in Beijing and Rome – Pat Murphy, Nick Ffrost, Robert Hurley, Kirk Palmer and D'Orsogna An event chockfull of depth. Hang on till London boys – it just might be worth it.

The 400m remains wide open but on form looks like Hurley, back under Ron McKeon in Wollongong and Ryan Napoleon from Michael Bohl's stable who are the top picks.

If anyone knows how to swim 400s it was 1980 and 1984 Olympian McKeon. Throw in Murphy (if he goes the distance), the emerging Thomas Fraser-Holmes, Theo Pasialis (who is now under dual Olympian Craig Stevens) Cameron Smith and Ned McKendry for what could well be a cracking eight laps.

Hurley and Napoleon both swam the 800m event in Rome last year and are the only swimmers up until the end of 2009 to have broken eight minutes.

Pasialis, Fraser-Holmes and Christopher Ashwood will all be looking to dip under the eight-minute barrier and push the top two to their best times.

Napoleon was the talk of the town at the 2009 Australian Championships, where he won the 1500m crown in a time of 15:01.99, from lane one. At 18, Napoleon remains one of the boys most likely to carry Australia's hope for the premier event in London in 2012.

Training with Korean 400m freestyle Olympic and world champion Tae-Hwan Park will be a huge plus for Napoleon who can expect plenty of opposition from Hurley, Pasialis and Ashwood.

BREASTSTROKE

There are two names that remain synonymous with breaststroke success in Australia – world champion and world record holder Brenton Rickard and world record holder Christian Sprenger.

Since winning the world title in a world record time in the 100m in Rome last year, Rickard has returned to Queensland, leaving long-time coach Vince Raleigh at the AIS to link up with Glenn Baker at Southport Olympic.

Sprenger, who dead-heated for bronze after breaking the world record in the 200m in the semi-final, returned to swim the Australian Short Course Championships and again set Hobart alight to set the world record in the 200m after his suit split, forcing him out of the 100m.

It is widely regarded that breaststrokers benefited most out of "the suits" but that aside, the duo of Rickard and Sprenger, at their best, will be the men to beat at this year's Pan Pacs, Commonwealth Games and World Short Course Championships.

They are ranked 1 and 2 in all three events, the 50, 100 and 200 and anyone who splits them will have to be well and truly on their game.

But with three swimmers per event in the Commonwealth Games keep an eye on these youngsters trying to break into the National team – Daniel Crook, Karl Wurzer, Craig Calder, Jeremy Meyer and 16-year-old Queenslander Buster Sykes, who made a huge impression at the Queensland Championships in the 200m

BUTTERFLY

It will be a case of the old v the new for spots in the sprint butterfly events as golden oldies Geoff Huegill and Adam Pine keep-on-keeping on.

Huegill's much publicised comeback will see the new-look Sydney 2000 Olympic bronze medallist and five-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist put it all on the line in the 50m butterfly – the event he dominated in 2001 and won at the NSW Championships, nine years later in 23.83. Pine, at 33 will be keeping "Skippy" honest as he chases a place in a record fifth Commonwealth Games team.

But the "old boys" will have to be well and truly on their game to keep the next generation at bay.

Olympic bronze medallist Andrew Lauterstein, Olympic finalist and World Championship 50m finalist Matt Targett will be joined by Commonwealth short course record holder Mitch Patterson from Warringah Aquatic, former world short course record holder Matt Jaukovic and NSWIS youngster Garth Kates.

Throw in 200m specialists Nick D'Arcy, Chris Wright and Lachlan Staples into the mix and the 100m will be a helter-skelter affair. D'Arcy is head and shoulders above the rest in the 200m but Wright and Staples will keep him honest.

Jayden Hadler, at his best could also throw a spanner in the works.

BACKSTROKE

Olympian Ashley Delaney will head to these Trials with somewhat of a point to prove after promising so much individually at the start of last season and not making a final at the Rome World Championships.

To his credit he finally delivered in the final of the medley relay, clocking 53.10 when it counted – spearheading the Aussie boys to bronze.

Although suit assisted, it was the second fastest time ever by an Australian and there is no reason why Delaney cannot repeat his efforts of 2009 and win the 50, 100 and 200m treble.

Although Olympic silver medallist Hayden Stoeckel may have something to say about that after recovering from shoulder surgery which kept him out of world championships and enjoying life at the AIS. Throw in Robert Hurley and a group of youngsters including Ben Treffers (in the 50m), Daniel Arnamnart (in the 50 and 100) and Bobby Jovanovich 100 and 200) and it will be game on for the eventual third spots on the Pan Pac and Commonwealth Games teams.

INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY

If ever there was an unsung hero from last year's World Championships in Rome then it would have to be Leith Brodie – who made some huge improvements – whether it was the suit factor of not – the quiet achiever of swimming achieved some big break throughs.

It remains to be seen if he can get anywhere near the suited 1:56.69 in the 200m which placed him head and shoulders ahead of any other Australian. Leith and his former coach John Rodgers would agree that the hard yards and the right preparation were the key factor.

With Rodgers now coaching in Canada, Brodie has linked up with the Michael Bohl squad and some pretty slick swimmers in Kenrick Monk, Ryan Napoleon, Steph Rice, Meagen Nay and Koren superstar Tae-Hwan Park. Tommaso D'Orsogna came of age in the IM last year and include Daniel Lester, Sam Ashby, Thomas Fraser-Holmes and Kenneth To the minor placings in the 200 event will be up for grabs.

As for the 400IM, the cupboard has been a little bare in recent times and with World Championship representative Stephen Parkes having time out of the water it could again come down to Brodie. The quiet achiever will win if he races it and gets over the pain factor. Declan Potts, Mitch Larkin and the ever-present Thomas Fraser-Holmes will be the ones to keep an eye on. If anyone can deliver in this gruelling event then it will be Fraser-Holmes.

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