![\"Minna](\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Minnaatherton4GWANGJU-Minna-Atherton-finish-700x500.jpg\")
POOL TO OPEN WATER: Backstroking world beater Minna Atherton out to make a splash in the 5km open water. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).<\/p><\/div>\n
World short course record holder and 2019 World Championship silver medallist in the 100m backstroke, Atherton will join a host of names in the five kilometre State Championship.<\/p>\n
She will be joined by her Moreton Bay team mate and middle distance freestyler Alex Grant<\/strong> who will line up in a red-hot men\u2019s field and TSS Aquatic (Southport) distance queens Maddy Gough, Kiah Melverton<\/strong> and Moesha Johnson<\/strong> \u2013 who are no strangers to open water.<\/p>\n The 21-strong TSS group, which also includes Commonwealth Games silver medallist in the 200m butterfly and Northcliffe Surf Club\u2019s Australian surf lifesaving gold medallist Laura Taylor<\/strong> are the reigning National champion club and will be amongst 377 swimmers from 67 clubs across Queensland and Northern NSW.<\/p>\n WINNING TRIFECTA: Super coach John “JR” Rodgers with his super two, Kareena Lee and Nick Sloman. Photo Courtesy: Hanson Media.<\/p><\/div>\n Other big entries have been received from the powerhouse Rackley Swim Team with 36; Genesis Aquatics (North Brisbane) and Yeronga Park with Chelsea Gubecka<\/strong> amongst its 29 swimmers; Brisbane Jets 17; University of Queensland (UQ) including Jack Ireland<\/strong> with 15; Nudgee College 17.<\/p>\n Then there is Kawana Waters with Bailey Armstrong<\/strong>, Kolby Gubecka <\/strong>and Chloe Gubecka;\u00a0<\/strong>Belgravia Swim Team\u00a0with rising star\u00a0Hayden Cotter <\/b>and Paralympic\u00a0gold\u00a0medallists Brenden Hall <\/b>and Lakeisha Patterson\u00a0<\/b>\u00a0and Miami Swim Club all with 11, and John Rodgers<\/strong> Noosa group with Lee and Nick Sloman<\/strong> with a team of 10 swimmers.<\/p>\n They will contest 2.5km and 5km events for Age and Open at the Oz Ski Resort in Coolum on the State\u2019s Sunshine Coast<\/p>\n The country\u2019s leading open water swimmers, including Tokyo hopefuls in marathon and pool have recently come off a solid 10-day high performance training camp in Cairns.<\/p>\n The Camp, conducted at the Trinity Anglican School, included Lee, her Noosa training partner Sloman and fellow males with their eyes on Tokyo qualification Kai Edwards<\/strong> (TSS Aquatic) and Armstrong (Kawana Waters) who were joined by the likes of Commonwealth Games gold medallist Jack McLaughlin<\/strong> and fellow Rio Olympian and bronze medallist Leah Neale <\/strong>(now Chandler) with Gough and Melverton headlining the TSS group.<\/p>\n Gough and Melverton are just as comfortable in the open water as they are in the pool, both having won Australian open water championships, Gough scoring an emphatic victory in Adelaide in January this year.<\/p>\n Swimming Australia Open Water Performance Manager Greg Shaw<\/strong> says the open water fraternity is chomping at the bit to put their practice into racing this Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will be the first hit out for most of them in a long time, for the top open water guys it is effectively the Doha World Cup,\u201d said Shaw.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone is really excited to get the opportunity to race; it is something we haven\u2019t had a lot of and everyone is ready; there is excitement in the air.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are supporting and encouraging our top swimmers to attend and of course the response has been fantastic.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is important to get people together to keep that experience moving; it\u2019s really about that hard edge tactical racing that gets us across the line internationally and to replicate that in open water racing is important.\u201d<\/p>\n And with the likes of Tokyo backstroking hope Atherton, who like so many other Australians would have been in Budapest for the start of the ISL this weekend, entered, Shaw said it was important for the open water community to embrace everyone at the moment.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is great to see the likes of Minna and so many clubs, everyone is chomping at the bit and to get to them\u2026it will be good to see everyone out and about\u2026and to be able to translate it into good fun and close finishes.<\/p>\n \u201cThe women\u2019s 5km will see five of the top 10 swimmers over 1500m in Australia which shows the quality of the field.\u201d<\/p>\n Shaw said the Cairns Camp was: \u201cA really good opportunity to get the swimmers out of Brisbane and to mix with other senior athletes.<\/p>\n![\"KAREENA](\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/KAREENA-LEE-JR-AND-NICK-SLOMAN-PAN-PACS-700x500.jpg\")
![\"Bailey](\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Bailey-Armstrong-thumbs-up-700x500.jpg\")