If you caught our post published yesterday listing the more than 40 international meets on the world’s swimming calendar for next month, then you know the Australian National Championships are slated for April 7th – 12th.
National titles are on the line for swimmers stemming from New South Wales, South Australia, Queensland, Victoria and beyond, but World Championships qualification for the country’s swimmers will take place at Australia’s Trials meet later in June.
With that timing in mind, World Champion Emily Seebhom has decided to forego next month’s Nationals and instead focus on the new FINA Champions Series. Seebohm is slated to race at least the first 2 stops of the inaugural event, which includes Guangzhou, China as its first meet at the end of April.
Speaking to the AAP, the 26-year-old stated, “I think I will know where I am (before world titles) after these two FINA Champions Swim Series meets. Leading into Tokyo you want to be moving in the right direction.
“The big focus is on the world titles trials but this year is about taking chances and doing different things so when the FINA series came up I was very interested in racing people I will be up against in the next couple of years.
“Ahead of Tokyo it will give me confidence and experience.”
Seebohm is unique in that she will be competing in both the FINA Champions Swim Series, as well as its rival meet circuit conducted by the newly-formed International Swimming League (ISL). Other Aussie stars, such as Olympic medalists Cate Campbell and Maddie Groves, have publicly said they will be opting out of the FINA Champions Swim Series specifically due to its bad timing with Aussie Nationals, as well as the World Trials in June.
Seebohm was recently called up to the Energy Standard squad, whose line-up also consists of Dutch Olympian Femke Heemskerk, Belarusian Ily Shymanovich, Danas Rapsys of Lithuania and Canadian breaststroker Kierra Smith.
Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden and Chad Le Clos of South Africa are the team’s captains.
I’m surprised more Aussies aren’t skipping this so called “national championship” meet in April to chase financial reward in the FINA series
Sad but true , the athletes must make a decent living when the money is offered…..