One year and one week from the 2012 Olympic Games in London, the Australian Team has started to take shape. Open water swimmer Melissa Gorman is the first Australian to earn a named place to compete in London 2012.
One year and one week from the 2012 Olympic Games in London, the Australian Team has started to take shape. Open water swimmer Melissa Gorman is the first Australian to earn a named place to compete in London 2012.
Gorman finished fourth in today’s 10km open water swimming event at the World Championships in Shanghai. As per the International Federation (FINA) Qualification System for London 2012, the top 10 athletes secured themselves a quota place at the Games.
Also a talented 800m and 1500m pool swimmer, Gorman was eyeing the open water qualification spot and focused her training on the Shanghai Olympic qualifier.
The 25-year-old Queenslander was placed second after 7.5km but was unable to stick with eventual winner, Great Britain’s Keri Anne Payne, in the final kilometre.
Gorman finished fourth in a photo finish with a time of 2:02:12- 14 seconds off the gold medal. Fellow Australian Danielle DeFrancesco finished 31st in a time of 2:05:47 but it was Gorman who sealed her second Olympic berth.
“I’m looking forward to heading into London! I have a lot more experience this time,” Gorman said.
On debut at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Gorman placed 15th in the open water and feels she is yet to unleash her true potential on the Olympic stage.
“Open water swimming is a sport where you really improve with experience,” Gorman said.
“Racing in Beijing was only my third open water swim I’d ever done and I learnt a lot of valuable lessons there."
Gorman won bronze at the 2010 world championships and looks forward to an iconic race at the 2012 Olympics. The London 2012 open water course is located in the Serpentine lake in the heart of Hyde Park.
“It’s going to be really exciting they’re expecting to have a really big crowd there,” Gorman said.
The challenging Olympic course consists of six loops- each comprising of up to 11 bends.
“There’s going to be a lot of turning and more tactical plays than any other open water race that I’ve been in. So I’m really looking forward to it I think it will be a challenge but definitely an exciting one,” Gorman said.
Elated with one Olympic qualification spot, Gorman will now look to qualify for the 800m event at the Australian Trials in Adelaide in March.
“I would love to compete in both open water and pool events in London,” Gorman said.
Now she will focus on getting her speed up and her times down to place in the top two at next year’s trials.
Beijing Olympian Ky Hurst leads the charge for the Australian men in the male 10km event tomorrow.
Taya Conomos
AOC
