Training with world champ paid off: Hansen

Friday, 10 August 2018:

JESSICA HANSEN of Australia celebrates winning the silver medal after competing in the Women's 100m Breaststroke Final on day one of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships at Tokyo TIS Center in Tokyo, Japan.
JESSICA HANSEN of Australia celebrates winning the silver medal after competing in the Women's 100m Breaststroke Final on day one of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships at Tokyo TIS Center in Tokyo, Japan.


They say if you can't beat them, join them.

It's an approach that appears to be paying off for Australia's Jessica Hansen judging by her Pan Pacs heroics in Tokyo.

The 23-year-old has credited a training stint with world and Olympic champion Lilly King in the United States for her shock 100m breaststroke silver on the opening night of the four-day meet.

Hansen clocked a personal best one minute, 06.20 seconds to finish less than a second behind world record holder King in Thursday's final.

It was a remarkable turnaround after Hansen appeared disillusioned following her dead last placing in the same event at April's Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

In a bid to spark his charge, coach Scott Talbot - son of former Dolphins mentor Don - organised a trip to Indiana in late May for a two-week camp with King's squad.

Few could have predicted the difference it would make.

"I could say that I learnt a lot of things in comparison to her," Hansen said of training alongside King.

"But a lot of the things I learnt over there were for my own benefit.

"I really worked on my pull. In those last 30m, I got on my arms and got home and that came through in the race."

Not surprisingly, Hansen was keen on another Indiana trip ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics now she has King in her sights.

"Yeah, we'll see what happens but it's hard to line up the schedules," she said.

For the moment, Hansen was just happy to finally stand tall on the big stage.

"I think doing it at home is the easy part because you're in your home environment, you're comfortable, you've got your coach around," she said.

"But I don't have my coach here, I'm in Japan ... there's all these things that can go wrong.

"You've just got to stick with what you know and execute your race plan when the time calls for it."

Hansen is also set to feature in Sunday's 4x100m medley relay.






AAP