Britain’s long distance swimmers aiming for a place on the starting line of the inaugural Olympic 10km swim this summer in Beijing will begin their journey in South Africa this weekend, and include 2 swimmers from our region - Richard Charlesworth and Brett Ferguson, both of Hatfield SC.
World Championship silver medallist Cassie Patten (Stockport Metro) leads a British team of eight to the South African Open Water Championships in Cape Town that will also form the first stage of their Olympic selection.
The squad will use the event to be selected for the 5th FINA World Open Water Championships in Seville (3rd May) where athletes will then try to qualify for the Beijing Olympics.
The team goes into the meet off a short preparation in South Africa and will be lead by Head Coach Sean Kelly.
“The swimmers have enjoyed a week-long camp to acclimatise to the conditions here in South Africa which are going to be very warm indeed,” said Kelly.
“They predict it will be around 33 Celsius on Saturday with a water temperature of about 25 Celsius – it will be similar to swimming in a pool and is ideal preparation for what the athletes are likely to face in Beijing.
“Because of the conditions, we’ve got a strategy in place to make sure our athletes don’t dehydrate and they’ll have the chance to regularly feed or drink during the 10km to make sure they’re there at the end.
“They’re in great shape but it’s going to be very demanding for them given the temperatures expected.”
Since the 10km event’s inclusion on the Olympic programme, many pool-based distance swimmers have tested the waters of the endurance swim as they eye the possibility of competing in Beijing.
“It’s good to have such a lot of interest in open water swimming from some of Britain’s top swimmers,” said Kelly. “It’s an exciting time for the sport now it’s within the Olympic programme and the numbers being drawn to the sport are a testament to that.
“There will be a lot of pressure out there on Saturday but throughout our camp we’ve tried to keep the athletes away from it. It’s been relaxed but professional and now everybody is really excited about competing.”
