Seebohm to skip national swimming titles

Wednesday, 20 March 2019:

EMILY SEEBOHM of Australia celebrates victory in the Women's 50m Backstroke Final on of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games at Optus Aquatic Centre on the Gold Coast, Australia.
EMILY SEEBOHM of Australia celebrates victory in the Women's 50m Backstroke Final on of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games at Optus Aquatic Centre on the Gold Coast, Australia.


Emily Seebohm's coach has confirmed the Dolphins veteran will skip the upcoming national swimming titles but he hopes to extend the backstroke champion's career until the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Instead of contesting April's national titles in Adelaide, Seebohm will head overseas to focus on the new $A5.5 million FINA Champions Swim Series before June's world championship trials in Brisbane.

Seebohm can create history by claiming a third successive 200m backstroke crown at July's world titles in South Korea. It would be a huge shot in the arm before what was expected to be her swansong at Tokyo 2020.

But her coach David Lush said he hoped the 12-year national team veteran would extend her glittering career to the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

Seebohm, 26, has 15 Commonwealth Games medals - including seven gold - from three campaigns.

"We are taking it one step at a time but I am trying to sell her coming back for one more Commonwealth Games," Lush told AAP.

"I think she can sneak one more medal to put on her Wikipedia page, but we will see what happens - the world titles is the focus right now.

"No female in history has gone back-to-back-to-back (three straight) in 200m backstroke (at world titles) and she now has that opportunity."

Seebohm will warm up for the world titles at Gwangju, South Korea, by contesting the invitation-only FINA Champions Swim Series.

She will take part in two of the series' three legs - at Guangzhou, China from April 27-28 and Budapest, Hungary from May 11-12 - before the world titles trials.

"I think I will know where I am (before world titles) after these two FINA Champions Swim Series meets," Seebohm told AAP.

"Leading into Tokyo you want to be moving in the right direction.

"The big focus is on the world titles trials but this year is about taking chances and doing different things so when the FINA series came up I was very interested in racing people I will be up against in the next couple of years.

"Ahead of Tokyo it will give me confidence and experience."

In a busy year, Seebohm will also take part in the new cashed-up breakaway International Swimming League from October-December, which is bankrolled by billionaire Konstantin Grigorishin.

Seebohm was in Brisbane as part of the national backstroke event camp, where athletes and coaches swapped notes with Australian women's cricket coach Matt Mott at the National Cricket Centre.






AAP






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