US, Aussie champs set for Dubai showdown

Swimming powerhouses United States and Australia have both sent talent-packed teams to take part in the 10th World Short Course Championships which take place in the desert setting of Dubai from Wednesday till Sunday.

Michael Phelps will not be gracing the pool at the state of the art Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Sports Complex this week but the likes of America’s Ryan Lochte, Brazil’s Cesar Cielo and Sweden’s Therese Alshammar are sure to keep things interesting.

With over 140 nations competing at these Championships, leading the medal charge will be a strong US line-up, which includes 20 Olympians such as Lochte, Nathan Adrian, Natalie Coughlin and Aaron Piersol.

“This team represents one of the most talented US Swimming squads I’ve seen,” said team coach Jim Wood.

“Our team is a solid mix of new talent and veteran leadership and that is really exciting, both for this meet and as we head toward London in less than two years.”

Another of the Americans to keep an eye on will be Rebecca Soni, who will be renewing her rivalry with Australia’s Leisel Jones in the breaststroke events.

Soni is relishing the prospect of another great battle.

“It’s a very good rivalry,” she said.

“I really respect Leisel and I think she respects me so that’s always a good thing. She’s a great girl and I know she is going to come back stronger.

“I’m sure we are in for an exciting race against each other.”

Joining Jones in the Australian squad in Dubai is comeback king Geoff Huegill, who has made a remarkable return to international swimming following his retirement in 2004, and will be looking to follow up on his recent Commonwealth Games success with victory in the 4x100m medley and the 100m butterfly.

Also in the squad are world record holders Brenton Rickard and Christian Sprenger.

“This is a major event for us and all World Championships are extremely important for Australia, whether they be long course, or short course,” said Australia’s head coach Leigh Nugent.

“These Championships are important for experienced athletes who are trying to maintain their competitive edge, but it’s also important for some of those less experienced athletes to break into a national team and swim on the international stage.

“It won’t be all about the Americans and Australians in Dubai, however.

With a squad of over 40 swimmers including 200m butterfly world record holder Liu Zige, the Chinese team will be looking for a massive improvement on their single silver medal from Manchester two years ago.

And fresh from the European Short Course Championships, the likes of Sweden, France, Italy, Hungary and Germany will all be in contention for podium places.

Sweden’s freestyle and butterfly sprinter Therese Alshammar won the overall FINA World Cup title for the third time last month and already boasts a massive 15 medals — including nine golds — from previous appearances in these Championships.

Federica Pellegrini and Filippo Magnini will head up the Italian lineup while the French team includes Olympic champions Alain Bernard and Frederick Bousquet.

One of the major draw-cards of the championships will be Brazil’s sprint king Cesar Cielo who will be looking to add the short course titles to the long course 50m and 100m freestyle world titles he claimed in Rome last year.

With the full polyurethane and neoprene swimsuits now banned in competition, it’s extremely unlikely the number of world records that were broken at the previous Championships in Manchester (18 in total) will be eclipsed in Dubai, but the numerous top-name rivalries are sure to provide an intriguing five days of competition.