SWIMMING: Queensland teenager Chelsea Gubecka and London Olympian Jarrod Poort have earnt automatic nomination to the Australian Olympic Committee for the marathon swim at this year’s Rio Olympic Games.
Gubecka finished fourth and fellow Sunshine Coaster and good friend Kareena Lee, was a close-up seventh, in the Olympic Qualifying race in Setabul, some 40 kilometres south of capital Lisbon.
The pair, who have swum with and against each other in competition and training,were rarely out of each other’s sights as they battled it out for the one available spot on the Australian team for the Games.
Coming into the sixth and final lap it was Lee who held on to a slender lead over Gubecka as the top 10 swimmers jostled for the best positions and those vital qualifying places in the final 1.666km swim to the finish.
After surviving the first five laps and with the instructions “stay in touch” ringing in their ears it was always going to come down to who was closest in the final stages.
And it was Gubecka who made her debut for Australia at 2013 Fina World Championships in Barcelona at just 14, who produced the finish of her life to join the select open water field for Copacabana Beach in August.
In a frantic finish it was China's Xin Xin who was first to touch in 1:55:12.1 ahead of 2008 Beijing Olympic 10km silver medallist and two-time 10km world champion Keri-Anne Payne (1:55.12.9) from Great Britain with Ecuador's Samantha Arevalo (1:55.15.9) third, leading the list of qualifiers with Gubecka touching in 1:55.34.3 and Lee in 1:55.50.2.
Gubecka had gone close to qualifying at last year’s World Championships in Kazan, finishing 13th – three spots shy of the automatic top 10 for Rio, extending her preparation another 10 months.
But it has worth the wait to put together her best ever performance.
Coming past the feeder pontoon for the final time, Gubecka’s coach of two years at Kawana Waters, Michael Sage raised both arms urging his young charge on.
And moments after her fourth-placed finish and realising her Olympic dream had come true she swam over to the pontoon and climbed up to embrace the man who had been with her day and night on her journey to Rio.
“It’s just so surreal. I can’t believe it really but to have Michael there and to see him and then to have my mum and dad there right on the finish and to see them was so special,” said Gubecka.
“I can’t thank them all enough for being there for me and also Kareena, my friend and training buddy through this preparation.
“We always knew one of us would make it and one of us wouldn’t, as tough as it was it was, it was always going to be hard and I’m just proud that person will be me but I know it is not the end for Kareena either.
“I can’t wait to see what I can bring to the table and to achieve in this next preparation leading into Rio.
“I have learnt so much from all of my international races and today was so exciting and it was a really rough and tough swim, you had to get in there and fight for your spot.
“With so many of the countries in a similar situation to Australia there were so many races within the race as well.
“I actually felt pretty heavy in the early stages but I knew I just had to feel my stroke and try and hold on to the end and make it as easy as possible for the first five laps.
“My goal was to position myself better than I had done in past races. You always learn something new in all your international appearances against the best in the world and I was glad to be able to out that into practice today.”
Gubecka becomes only the second Australian female swimmer to represent in the 10km after fellow Queenslander Melissa Gorman finished 10th in the London Olympics and 15th in Beijing at the sport’s debut.
Australia’s National Open Water Head Coach Ron McKeon said he was immensely proud of both girls and where they had positioned themselves on the international stage.
“It was a great race between the two of them, I’m proud of the way they raced, also proud of their coaches in preparing them and the support they have given each other,” said McKeon.
“There could only be one qualifier and Chelsea did the job today and now she’s looking forward to Rio and Kareena, while disappointed I know she is satisfied with what she has achieved and she should be equally proud of herself.”
Men's race
A brave but calculated risk to swim to the front with three kilometres to go has earned London Olympian Jarrod Poort a shot at a second Olympics in swimming’s 10km marathon in Rio a month after his parents had booked their flights to the Games.
The 21-year-old from Wollongong took the lead during the final two laps of the final Olympic Qualifier in Setubal, Portugal earlier today and it was a move that paid off big time.
In the end just 3.2 seconds separated Poort from fellow Olympic team aspirant, WA’s fast finishing Simon Huitenga as the top 10 swimmers jostled for positions and for the Australians the one spot up for grabs for Rio.
“I’d had a pretty cruisey first half of the race and thought it was time to take off and if I was going to have a chance of winning the race then I had to take the lead,” said Poort.
“They say you shouldn’t lead but I was confident in the decision and I thought I had to do it. I felt strong and I knew I had to put myself in the race and back myself.
“I had done a lot of training sessions that were harder than the race so I knew I could handle it.
“Over the last 300m I just got swamped and I could see Simon and I knew it was going to be close.
“It sucks really, a real bitter sweet feeling for me to make the team and for Simon to miss out….I really feel for him.”
But as does happen, the 10km finish is all about putting yourself in the best place over the last kilometre of the race and Poort and Huitenga were so close in the end, finishing just metres behind Tunisia’s defending Olympic champion, Ous Mellouli.
Today it was Poort, who was a last minute inclusion ahead of Mack Horton for the 1500m freestyle in London four years ago, who has again grabbed an 11th hour place on the Rio team.
It will take the number of swimmers going to the Games to 39 following the inclusion of relay swimmers James Magnussen, James Roberts and Matt Abood onto the pool team and now Gubecka and Poort.
And Poort also revealed his “extra incentive” to make the team.
“About a month ago my dad Gary pulled me aside and said ‘son there’s something you should know,” said Poort.
“Your mother (Sheryl) and I have already booked our flights to Rio…..and Mum wasn’t happy that he told me saying I didn’t need the extra pressure.
“But there was no pressure really..I just saw it as an extra incentive to make the team.”
It was a special day for National Head Coach Ron McKeon, Poort’s former coach and now the driving force behind the success of Australia’s open water team.
“I’m just so humbled not just to see these guys swim so well but they are all team mates and room mates, and they’ve had a long journey together, racing head to head and just getting on with it. I’ve got so much respect for all of them on both a personal and competitive sense,” McKeon said.
And as for Poort, McKeon was quick to praise his former charge saying:” “He took every opportunity to win it; he swam the race and not just the race within the race while Simon gave it everything he had and to get that close and he didn’t quite get there but he was taking some water out of the field in the end.
“Australia has had Ky Hurst and Mel Gorman on the past two Olympic teams in the 10km event and the baton is in good hands.”
SWIMMING AUSTRALIA