Dual Olympian Tommy Neill The Latest Withdrawal From Australia’s Commonwealth Games Swim Team For Glasgow.
Australia’s Commonwealth Games swim team for Glasgow has been dealt another blow with the withdrawal of Queensland’s dual Olympian Tommy Neill with a hand injury on the eve of the team’s departure from its training base in Darmstadt.
Tommy Neill. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan.
Ther 24-year-old was due to make his Commonwealth Games debut in the 200m individual medley alongside Trials winner and Paris Olympian Will Petric and fellow Tokyo and Paris Olympian – Tokyo 400IM bronze medallist Brendon Smith.
Petric and Smith will also contest the 400IM with Smith’s Tokyo and Paris teammate Se-Bom Lee.
Swimming Australia Head Coach Rohan Taylor confirmed Neill’s late withdrawal after he suffered a hand injury during staging camp, saying he would be out of the water for several weeks.
Neill, a key member of Australia’s 4x200m freestyle relay bronze medals in both Tokyo and Paris, joins five-time Olympic gold medallist Kaylee McKeown on the sideline with the world’s number one female backstroker succumbing to glandular fever.
The Games begin on Thursday with the Opening Ceremony with the six-day swim meet kicking off on Friday.
Meanwhile newly minted Dolphins have received their gold caps in front of the full team and four-time Olympic gold medallist Ariarne Titmus, who will cover the Games for Games broadcaster Channel 7. Since 2012, the Dolphins have made the gold cap sacrosanct for open teams and today’s presentation included 15 rookies receiving their gold caps with the below awarded their respective pin numbers:
330 – Victoria Belando Nicholson (QLD)
331 – Jasmin Fullgrabe (SA)
332 – Alyssa Gillespie (NSW)
333 – Mia Hogan (NSW)
334 – Beau Matthews (NSW)
335 – Gemma Sellick (NSW)
336 – Liam Togher (NSW)
880 – Matt Galea (QLD)
881 – Jamie Jack (QLD)
882 – Bailey Lello (QLD)
884 – Inez Miller (WA)
885 – Molly Walker (SA)
886 – Amelia Weber (QLD)
887 – Henry Allan (VIC)
888 – Jessica Cole (NSW)
The 883 pin number was awarded to open water swimmer Euan Linley following Trials.