Swimming: Sudden-death for Olympic hopefuls

By DAVID LEGGAT

New Zealand's top swimmers will need to demonstrate a perfect sense of timing at the national championships at the Waitakere pool in Henderson.

Those who harbour strong ambitions of making the Athens Olympics must show they can cut out a qualifying time at the five-day championships, starting today.

The championships are their only chance. It does not matter what they have done in the lead-up period. Swimming New Zealand's criteria means they must beat the qualifying mark at the championships.

"Do it this week or it doesn't count," warned SNZ's director of coaching Clive Rushton. "It's a sudden-death trial."

And SNZ is confident it will avoid an ambush such as that which has given Yachting New Zealand headaches to go with legal appeals over its Olympic nominations.

"The selection criteria are as objective as we could possibly make them," Rushton said.

"I think we've got all the bases covered. We went out of our way to try to make them bulletproof.

"Basically, the swimmer hits the touch-pad, they look at the scoreboard and they'll know if they're going to be nominated."

There are about a dozen swimmers in with a shout, either because they have already gone under the qualifying time - such as 2000 Olympic representative Dean Kent in the 200m individual medley, or North Shore backstroker Hannah McLean, who has done it in the 100m and 200m disciplines - or are on the cusp of attaining it.

The trick is in the timing, so mental strength needs to be allied to the physical preparation the swimmers have gone through to be ready to peak for this week.

Seven swimmers have been to previous Olympics and one of them, 35-year-old Toni Jeffs, attempts the unthinkable in the final session on Sunday.

She will be trying to qualify for her third Olympics in the 50m freestyle at an age which puts her, by accepted swimming standards, in the grandmother category.

Rushton hopes eight to 10 swimmers will qualify in the individual events. "We had seven at the world championships last year, which was a little disappointing.

"Eight to 10 would indicate that some of the near misses have stepped up."

There is a chance of a women's 4 x 200m freestyle relay team qualifying.

"If they fire there's no question they'll be high up in the rankings and they'll get an invitation," Rushton said.

First up with Athens in their sights today are North Shore-based Cantabrian Helen Norfolk and Otago's Liz van Welie in the 400m individual medley and Kent in the men's equivalent.

Swiming for Athens

Swimmers have only one chance to qualify for the Olympics, at the national championships starting at the Waitakere pool today.

* They must beat the Swimming New Zealand time to qualify.

* If two swimmers beat the Fina world governing body's A time both go. If one beats it and another goes under the SNZ time, only the faster time qualifies.

* If two swimmers beat the SNZ time, only the faster time qualifies.

* The same false start rule that saw Australia's Ian Thorpe disqaulified will apply.