Brisbane Aquatic Centre Turns Back The Clock; Announced To Play Host To The 2024 Australian Olympic and Paralympic Swim Trials, June 10-15
Brisbane will turn the clock back 40 years when it plays host to the 2024 Australian Olympic and Paralympic Swimming Trials from June 10-15 next year.
BRISBANE TO LA: Brisbane boy Jon Sieben launched his Olympic dream at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre at the 1984 Trials. Photo Courtesy: Russ McPhedron (Hanson Media Collection).
The Trials will return to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic City four decades after it staged the successful 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Swim Trials which launched Brisbane teenager and ISHOF inductee Jon Sieben’s road to Games glory in a memorable 200m butterfly win.
And the 2024 Swim Trials promises to be the hottest ticket in town with the Australian swimmers conquering the US at this year’s World Aquatics Championships to consolidate the sport’s latest golden era – winning 13 gold medals.
Places on the 2024 Olympic Swim Team will be the most competitive on record, especially in the men’s and women’s freestyle events – the blue ribband 100m to be “must watch” viewing – featuring reigning world champions Mollie O’Callaghan and Kyle Chalmers – amongst a who’s who list of high-profile challengers.
The Brisbane Aquatic Centre is no stranger to big events – built for the 1982 Commonwealth Games and also staging the 1987 Pan Pacs and various Australian and Australian Age Championships and Brisbane’s vibrant school carnivals.
It is the spiritual home of swimming in Queensland – Australia’s gold medal winning swimming State and the home pool of the Master Coach Vince Raleigh and his high profile Chandler team that includes Olympians Zac Stubblety-Cook, Cate Campbell, Mitch Larkin and Leah Neale and Paris hopeful Elizabeth Dekkers.
POOL CAM: Reigning world champion CamMcEvoy will be poolside at the launch of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Swim Trials. Photo Courtesy: Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto
Brisbane-based triple Olympian and reigning 50m freestyle world champion Cameron McEvoy (Somerville House), who will attempting to qualify for a fourth Olympic team will be joined by dual Paralympic gold medallist and another Chandler girl, Rachael Watson for today’s official launch alongside recently awarded AIS Coach of the Year, Dolphins National Head Coach Rohan Taylor.
The Trials will be the start of what could well see McEvoy carve his own slice of Olympic history – the first Australian to win the Olympic 50m freestyle gold.
Taylor said he couldn’t wait to see what the able-bodied athletes would produce after a successful World Championships in Fukuoka and most recently a three-meet European World Cup campaign, and the Paralympic athletes after their most successful Worlds’ campaign in Manchester.
“It’s a great chance to see our Dolphins in action up close … the women’s 100m final, for example, will be tougher to win than the Olympic final with the fastest swimmers in the word likely to feature in every lane, and I’m excited about the breakout performances that Olympic and Paralympic trials inspire,” Taylor said.
“Just a couple of years ago, a teenager called Kaylee McKeown had a breakout meet before Tokyo and went on to win gold, and going back further in time another young fella called Ian Thorpe broke two world records at the Sydney Olympic Trials – so there’s always something special.”
While General Manager of Swimming Australia Paralympic Program Anna Johnson said: “We have such an incredible group of athletes ready to make their mark in Paris. For most, it’s been countless years of preparation and with a mix of veterans and rising stars, we can expect some outstanding performance.
“Competition at the Trials is going to be impossible to miss and I can’t wait for the Australian public to see how dedicated, inspirational and elite our athletes are.”
The cream of Australia’s swimmers, led by McEvoy and O’Callaghan, Kaylee McKeown and Ariarne Titmus, will be among a bevy of heroes who will turn out in record numbers for the Aquatic Centre’s next major meet, the Queensland Championships from December 9-15.
if you didn’t know any better you’d think we didn’t swim in other states in Australia. Its Just QLD.