From: Jim Ferstle

To: Undisclosed-Recipient

Sent: Saturday, January 07, 2006 11:26 AM

Subject: Klim

Klim can sprint back to the top

By Stathi Paxinos
January 8, 2006

Australian head swimming coach Alan Thompson yesterday backed Michael Klim to this year rejoin the world's elite 100-metre freestyle sprinters after the former world record-holder's impressive times at last week's Victorian titles.

Thompson said Klim, whose career has been marred by injuries since the 2000 Sydney Olympics, was enjoying his best preparation for a major meeting in years. Klim won the 100 butterfly at the state titles that finished last night, and swam 49.67 seconds in the semi-finals of the 100 freestyle on Friday night.

Klim has a personal best time of 48.18 — a then world record, set as the lead-off swimmer in Australia's 4 x 100 relay gold medal-winning race in Sydney — and Thompson was optimistic Klim could again break the sought-after 49-second mark.

"Well, it's all pointing that way," Thompson said. "Michael swam injured and with restricted trainin! g to a 49.02 (at last year's world championships trials) so he hasn't got far to go to get under that."

Thompson has been at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre observing the progress of hopefuls before the Commonwealth Games trials that start at the same pool on January 30 and he has been impressed with a number of swimmers who were still in hard training.

One-lap specialist Brett Hawke's encouraging conversion to the 100 freestyle has been noted, as has the performances of Brooke Hanson, Matt Welsh, Sarah Katsoulis, Shayne Reese and Kelly Stubbins.

On paper, Australia's 4 x 100 freestyle relay team is weaker than South Africa but it has a chance of toppling the Olympic champion and world record-holder, with Hawke last week finally cracking 50 seconds and the expected returns of Ian Thorpe and Ashley Callus from extended breaks following the Athens Olympics.

Thompson said Klim's ability to swim sub-49 was the key. "One thing you! are always sure of with Michael is that you get 100 per cent every time he gets into the water."

Thompson said Australian swimming had been working to strengthen the sprint — as well as the medley and distance ranks — and it had started to pay off with a number swimming the 100 freestyle in 50 seconds.

He said he was aiming to have Australia's sprinting ranks back to the Sydney Olympics' standard by the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

 

Klim ready for red-hot go in trials

By Stathi Paxinos
January 8, 2006

Former100 metres freestyle world record holder Michael Klim last night said he was ready to capitalise on his best preparation in years at the Commonwealth Games trials this month.

Klim and training partner Brett Hawke, the two fastest qualifiers for last night's 100 freestyle final, had planned to help each other to repeat their impressive semi-final times when they both went under the 50-second mark, but still being in a heavy training schedule blunted their efforts.

Klim won in 50.05 seconds, while 50 metres specialist Hawke, who was first at halfway, faded to finish second in 50.65. Joel Greenshields, from Canada, was third in 51.14. But the 28-year-old Klim would not claim bragging rights over Hawke, who has turned his focus to the 100 freestyle in recent months, in the lead-up to the Commonwealth Games trials that start at the redeveloped Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre pool on January 30.

"No, not at all," Klim said. "We tried to work together and get the most out of each other. Brett was going to try to take me out and I was going to try to bring him home, but I'm just so tired.

"It's been a really ! long week and it's just good that we were still able to swim a pretty good time."

Klim said he was particularly encouraged by his time in the semi-final when, still in heavy training, he had qualified fastest for last night's final with a time of 49.67.

Australian head coach Alan Thompson had earlier yesterday backed Klim to rejoin the world's elite sprinters by swimming a sub-49 time this year, and Klim, whose personal best of 48.18 was a world record when set in 2000, said the sought-after target was again in reach.

"A 49.6 is the fastest I've been for a long time in training," Klim said. "Even coming into the world (championships last year), I wasn't swimming anywhere near that, so definitely a sub-49 swim is what I'm aiming for."

Competition for Australia's three individual spots in the 100 freestyle at the Commonwealth Games will be intense, with Ian Thorpe and Ashley Callus, the only other Australians who have broken 49 seconds, E! amon Sullivan, Klim and Hawke the main contenders.

Hawke, who broke the 50-second mark for the first time in his career with his semi-final swim of 49.95, agreed the pair were set up well to at the least claim a position in the 4 x 100 relay team, which will face the challenge of trying to topple Olympic champion and world-record holder South Africa in March.

"I think the whole week is just catching us up, even in the warm-up we were just really tired and fatigued," Hawke said.

"We really pushed each other the whole week so I think come trials when we are rested, it will pay off for us."

Brooke Hanson continued her good form last night by convincingly claiming the 200 breaststroke final in a time of two minutes 28.17 minutes - her fourth title of the week.

Sarah Katsoulis was again runner-up to Hanson, finishing in a time of 2:30.23 from Japan's Manami Fukuda (2:32.51) in third.

Victorian Shayne Reese claime! d her second title of the meeting - she also won the 100 freestyle earlier in the week - when she took the 200 freestyle in 2:00.60, from American youth team member Megan Romano (2:01.32) and Elka Graham (2:01.38).

Danni Miatke won the 100 butterfly final in 1:00.49, from 14-year-old Samantha Hamill (1:00.89) and Samantha Woodward, from the American youth team, who finished in 1:01.29.

Matt Welsh capped a clean sweep of the backstroke events by winning the 200 final in 2:01.71, from 14-year-old Takashi Iyobe (2:03.84) from the Itoman club in Japan, and Ashley Delaney (2:04.56).

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