34 Swimmers Named to the 2016 Australian Olympic Team

The 2016 Australian Olympic swim team has officially been announced. There will 34 athletes headed to Rio, which includes 19 women and 15 men, which is significantly smaller than the 2012 team that included 47 swimmers.

The oldest athlete on the team is 28 year old Alicia Coutts and the youngest two members on the team will be Kyle Chalmers and Tamsin Cook who are both 17.

The team may expand to 37 dependent on whether the men’s 4 x 100 freestyle is qualified to swim in Rio. James Roberts, James Magnussen and Matthew Abood will have to wait until FINA confirms that they will be awarded a quota spot.

The reason the Australian men have to go through this process is that they missed the top 12 ranking at the World Championships and now need to ensure they are ranked in the next four best nations for Rio. Once the quota place is confirmed Swimming Australia will nominate these swimmers to the AOC and their selection will be considered.

In London the Australians finished seventh earning one gold, six silver and three bronze. If you consider that the they finished fourth at the 2011 World Championships with two gold, eight silver and three bronze compared to 2015 where they finished second earning seven gold, three silver and six bronze the nation is in a much better position to improve on their medal count in Rio.

“The Team is shaping up perfectly,” said Jacco Verhaeren, Head Coach of the Australian National Team. “We’ve got a great group together, we’ve had some great races here at the National Championships.”

“I think that’s quite unique in a swim team, that you can have that. Georgia Bohl has never really raced internationally and her first big race is going to be at the Olympics so that’s very special. She doesn’t seem to be fazed at all so that’s good but no doubt she can pick up a lot from long time campaigners Alicia Coutts and Bronte Barratt,” Verhaeren said.

“It’s here at trials that you really show what your capabilities are and being able to convert that on the bigger stage, that’s the goal,” Verhaeren said.

There will be 13 swimmers who will compete in their second consecutive Olympics. A list that includes:

• Thomas Fraser-Holmes
• Mitch Larkin
• David McKeon
• Cameron McEvoy
• Jessica Ashwood
• Bronte Barratt
• Cate Campbell
• Bronte Campbell
• Alicia Coutts
• Blair Evans
• Belinda Hocking
• Emily Seebohm
• Brittany Elmslie

Cate Campbell who will be competing in her third Olympics knows that accomplishing her goals won’t be easy, “It’s going to be tough, there’s no denying but we get to swim a relay together which has always been our dream. It’s the one time we get to compete with each other instead of against each other and to be able to do that in Rio will be an absolute dream come true,” Campbell said.

“You’d think that third time round at an Olympics it would get easier, but it doesn’t, it gets harder and harder and more and more special each time. It means so much more to me each time I go because you know how much time and effort you’ve put into the past for years.”

Cameron McEvoy, who went to London as a relay swimmer, is excited about the opportunity to compete in multiple events in Rio, “I’m ecstatic. I’ve never had such a good week before in the pool. All three times that I’ve done I’m extremely happy with them personally. They all rank me high up in the world in terms of world rankings and I can’t fault that leading into Rio. It’s a nice position to be in for these three events,” McEvoy said.

“It’s going to be a very different experience. Every time you put on the green and gold it’s never going to diminish in importance to anyone. I’m also really excited to be able to do that in as many events as I can. I get 11 more races than what I did in London, that’s exciting, not that I’m counting!” said McEvoy.

The Australians currently have 13 swimmers in 22 events that are placed in the top three in the world rankings

• Jessica Ashwood – 400m Freestyle, 800m Freestyle
• Bronte Barratt – 200m Freestyle, 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay
• Joshua Beaver – 200m Backstroke
• Georgia Bohl – 100m Breaststroke, 4 x 100m Medley Relay
• Bronte Campbell – 50m Freestyle, 100m Freestyle, 4 x 100m Freestyle, 4 x 100m Medley Relay
• Cate Campbell – 50m Freestyle, 100m Freestyle, 4 x 100m Freestyle, 4 x 100m Medley Relay
• Kyle Chalmers – 100m Freestyle
• Tamsin Cook – 400m Freestyle
• Alicia Coutts – 200m Individual Medley
• Brittany Elmslie -4 x 100m Freestyle
• Blair Evans – 400m Individual Medley
• Thomas Fraser-Holmes – 400m Individual Medley, 200m Freestyle, 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay
• Madeline Groves – 100m , 200m Butterfly, 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay
• Jacob Hansford – 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay
• Belinda Hocking – 200m Backstroke
• Mack Horton – 400m Freestyle, 1500m Freestyle 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay
• Grant Irvine – 200m Butterfly
• Mitch Larkin – 100 & 200m Backstroke, 4 x 100m Medley Relay
• Travis Mahoney – 400m Individual Medley
• Cameron McEvoy – 50m, 100m & 200m Freestyle, 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay, 4 x 100m Medley Relay
• David McKeon – 400m Freestyle, 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay
• Emma McKeon – 200m Freestyle, 100m Butterfly, 4 x 100m Freestyle, 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay, 4 x 100m Medley Relay
• Taylor McKeown – 100 & 200m Breaststroke, 4 x 100m Medley Relay
• Jack McLoughlin – 1500m Freestyle
• Keryn McMaster – 400m Individual Medley
• David Morgan – 200m Butterfly, 4 x 100m Medley Relay
• Leah Neale – 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay
• Kotuku Ngawati – 200m Individual Medley
• Jake Packard – 100m Breaststroke, 4 x 100m Medley Relay
• Joshua Palmer – 4 x 100m Medley Relay
• Emily Seebohm – 100m Backstroke, 4 x 100m Medley Relay
• Daniel Smith – 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay
• Brianna Throssell – 200m Butterfly
• Madison Wilson – 100m Backstroke