Led By Chelsea Gubecka, Australia Names Open Water Squad For World Championships

Chelsea Gubecka action

Led By Chelsea Gubecka, Australia Names Open Water Squad For World Championships

Australian Champions Chelsea Gubecka (Yeronga Park) and Nick Sloman (Noosa) will lead an eight member Australian Dolphins team named by Swimming Australia to contest the Open Water component of the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka in July.

Gubecka and Sloman will headline the Australian contingent in the women’s and men’s Olympic 10k event and will be joined by Maddy Gough (Carlile) and Bailey Armstrong (USC Spartans).

Selection caps a stunning six month period of competition for Gubecka, beginning with her maiden international victory last November in the FINA World Marathon Series, followed by her sixth Australian 10k title and a third victory at the opening event of the LEN Open Water Cup season in Israel.

This year’s Open Water World Championships hold added significance for those athletes contesting the 10km event, with a podium finish in Fukuoka doubling as automatic qualification for next year’s Paris Olympic Games.

Fellow Dolphins Kyle Lee (North Coast) and Moesha Johnson (Griffith University) will contest the men’s and women’s 5k events in Fukuoka alongside rookies Jack Wilson (North Coast) and Bianca Crisp (Yeronga Park) who will both make their Dolphins debut in Japan.

The team was selected based on a combination of results across both the Australian Open Water Championships in Busselton in January, and the LEN Open Water Cup event last weekend.

Swimming Australia High Performance Director, Tamara Sheppard, congratulated the group on their selection.

“We are delighted for these athletes as selection in this World Championships team not only caps months of hard work in training, but also acknowledges their ability to execute across two competitive racing opportunities,” Sheppard said.

“The depth in our Open Water program is increasingly strong and that drives long term competitive benefits as these athletes continue to push each other not only for a place on this team, but places on international podiums.”

“These World Championships will be a fantastic platform to continue to demonstrate their international capability and acts as the first opportunity for an Olympic qualification spot.”

The team will be led by Swimming Australia’s Technical Lead – Western Australia and South Australia, Mel Tantrum, as Head Coach alongside Team Coaches Chris Nesbit (Carlile) and Ian Mills (North Coast) named to his first Australian team.

The Open Water component of the 2023 World Aquatics Championships will run from July 15-20 in Fukuoka, Japan.

Australian Dolphins 2023 Open Water World Championships Team

Bailey Armstrong (USC Spartans)
Bianca Crisp (Yeronga Park)
Maddy Gough (Carlile)
Chelsea Gubecka (Yeronga Park)
Moesha Johnson (Griffith University)
Kyle Lee (North Coast)
Nick Sloman (Noosa)
Jack Wilson (North Coast)

Head Coach – Mel Tantrum
Team Coaches – Chris Nesbit (Carlile) and Ian Mills (North Coast)

 

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