The 2011 Australian Swimming Championships began this morning, with three-time Olympic gold medalist Stephanie Rice as the main draw. Rice, who has struggled since winning the 200m IM, 400m IM and 4x200m freestyle relay in Beijing, had shoulder surgery last year after chronic pain enforced her out of the 2010 Common wealth Games in August. She arrived at the Sydney Aquatic Center fitter than she has been since the 2008 Olympics, and she is ready to prove it here.
In the first session of beginning heats, Rice competed in the 100m butterfly and the 200m IM, qualifying for tonight's semifinals in both. The finals will be Saturday night in Sydney. Australia’s team for the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai will be selected here, with the top two finishers in each event qualified for a spot on the team. But head coach Leigh Nugent has added a twist: a separate list of qualifying times based on the top 12 world rankings.
Swimmers must beat the qualifying times to be named to the team, regardless of finishing in the top two. Nugent established the harsh selection process to support contest, after a 2010 season where Australia didn't have a single swimmer ranked No. 1 in the world for the first time in 20 years.
The other big story in Australian swimming isn't developing here, but in southern Switzerland, where Ian Thorpe is training. The five-time Olympic gold medalist announced his return in February, but Thorpe can't compete until he has finished nine months on the drug-testing roster. That makes him eligible on Nov. 2, and he's expected to make his debut at the World Cup in Singapore Nov. 4-5.
See World Cup Records at ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Records
In the first session of beginning heats, Rice competed in the 100m butterfly and the 200m IM, qualifying for tonight's semifinals in both. The finals will be Saturday night in Sydney. Australia’s team for the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai will be selected here, with the top two finishers in each event qualified for a spot on the team. But head coach Leigh Nugent has added a twist: a separate list of qualifying times based on the top 12 world rankings.
Swimmers must beat the qualifying times to be named to the team, regardless of finishing in the top two. Nugent established the harsh selection process to support contest, after a 2010 season where Australia didn't have a single swimmer ranked No. 1 in the world for the first time in 20 years.
The other big story in Australian swimming isn't developing here, but in southern Switzerland, where Ian Thorpe is training. The five-time Olympic gold medalist announced his return in February, but Thorpe can't compete until he has finished nine months on the drug-testing roster. That makes him eligible on Nov. 2, and he's expected to make his debut at the World Cup in Singapore Nov. 4-5.
See World Cup Records at ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Records
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