Australia’s best swimmers will converge on the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic centre this Friday for the 2011 Telstra Australian Swimming Championships incorporating selection trials for the 14th FINA World Championships to be held in Shanghai in July.

Commonwealth Games individual gold medallists including Geoff Huegill, Breton Rickard, Leisel Jones, Alicia Coutts, Jessicah Schipper and Emily Seebohm will join the likes of Stephanie Rice, Eamon Sullivan and Andrew Lauterstein across eight days of competition starting on Friday 1 April.

In all, some 690 swimmers will compete in 60 events, with the meet also incorporating selection trials for 2011 Para Pan Pacific Championships to be held in Edmonton, Canada from August 10-14.

Swimming Australia Head Coach Leigh Nugent says this year’s championships promise to showcase some quality swimming, with tight qualifying times for all races meaning athletes will need to be at their best.

“We’ve set the qualifying times with the aim of encouraging some close racing and that’s exactly what we expect to see over the eight days of competition,” said Nugent.

“Selection on the world championship and Para Pan Pacs team is the goal for many, and to do that swimmers are going to have to produce quality performances, under pressure.”

“Shanghai will be an important gauge for us heading into an Olympic year, and just like the Olympics there will only be two spots up for grabs in each event at this year’s Trials.”

The men’s and women’s 100m butterfly finals look to be two of the events of the meet this year, with Commonwealth champion Huegill up against teammates Lauterstein and Mitchell Patterson, while the women’s 100m fly is a who’s who of Australian swimming.

Rice, Coutts, Seebohm, Yolane Kukla, Marieke Guehrer and 24-year-old ‘veteran’ Jessicah Schipper are all set to compete the women’s 100m fly, with Beijing relay gold medallist Schipper looking to re-assert her dominance over the two laps.

“I try not to worry about the competition too much as you can’t control what they do, but I’ve been happy with my preparation so far and I know what a good prep is and what a bad prep is, and I’m pretty happy with this one so far,” said Schipper.

“I want to get some good times and get some PBs and I think if I’m able to do that for myself then that will get me on the team.”

The 2011 Telstra Australian Swimming Championships will start with the first heats session on Friday 1 April from 10.00am.

Swimming Australia