Swimming: McLean saving her best for Games

Hannah McLean

World ranked backstroker Hannah McLean says New Zealand's brilliant results at the world championships won't be repeated at the Sydney World Cup meet this weekend.

New Zealand's Commonwealth Games hopefuls will appreciate the two-day meet, having been locked in months of training since their stirring results at the Montreal world championships in July.

Eight finals at Montreal featured New Zealanders, an historic result which it is hoped will translate into medals at next year's Games in Melbourne.

McLean said Melbourne had been the focus for she and a number of leading hopefuls, which meant she wouldn't be at her best this weekend, nor at the Games trials in Auckland starting on December 6.

"I won't be tapering for this meet or for the trials in favour of having more training behind me going into Melbourne," McLean told NZPA.

"Since Montreal we've just been laying a really solid groundwork. In the long run I hope it's the best decision for me. It's probably the longest time I would have spent doing this type of work."

McLean, 25, is arguably New Zealand's best swimmer and leading medal hope at Melbourne in March.

She reached the final of the 50m and 100m backstroke at Montreal, breaking national records in both, and was ninth-quickest in the 200m race.

Her 100m world ranking is the best, at fifth, but she is fully aware that rankings would mean little at Melbourne.

"There's going to be some big competition from the Aussies, they're absolutely ruthless, particularly on their home turf," she said.

"It's all very close in the backstroke, it's a very high standard in England, Canada and Australia.

"For me it's just keeping on top of it and making sure I'm as fast as I can in March next year."

It is nearly two years since McLean completed an arts degree majoring in England and made the decision to focus on swimming ahead of post graduate study.

She has managed some part-time work in public relations and swimming coaching but will decide after next year's world short course championships in Shanghai whether to spend 35 hours a week in the work force rather than the pool, or to target the Beijing Olympics.

National coach Jan Cameron was in no doubt the engaging Aucklander could extend her career for some time.

"She's a real pro in her preparation and how she handles all facets of her life," Cameron said.

"She's a well-rounded young woman who can speak at all sorts of levels and a great athlete. She's just coming into her own now, I think.

"She does have other interests, as a lot of them do. But if you have sufficient support financially to stay in the game ... who knows, it's just whether or not swimming still takes her fancy."

This weekend's meet should attract a world class field to Sydney.

Cameron said the leading New Zealanders were in good shape but were unlikely to set the meet alight.

Instead it was an opportunity to put into practice the technical aspects of racing they routinely honed on a daily basis.

"We're not looking at this in comparison to anyone else," Cameron said.

"It's about our racing skills. Are we getting off the block as quickly as we need to? How is our pacing? How are the turns?"

Cameron laughed that she would let her swimmers have some time off from their gruelling Games preparation -- Christmas day and New Year's day.

* New Zealand swimmers to compete at the World Cup meet in Sydney this weekend:

Matt Woodrow, Steven Kent, John Gatfield, Scott Cantley, Aleisha Keating, Shane Patience, Zoe Baker, Georgina Toomey, Glen Anderson, Emma Banks, Callum Joll, Chantelle Colwrick, Daniel Ryan, Elizabeth Coaster, Calle Durham, Alison Fitch, Melissa Ingram, Rebecca Linton, Hannah McLean, Helen Norfolk, Te Rina Taite, Moss Burmester, Cameron Gibson, Chris Hotchin, Michael Jack, Dean Kent, Glenn Snyders, Corney Swanepoel, Scott Talbot-Cameron.

- NZPA