Britain’s ambitious swimming team has set it sights on topping Australia for the first time in an Olympic pool in 36 years.
Not since the disastrous 1976 Montreal Games have Britain’s swimmers finished above Australia on the medal table.
But with home support and a potent women’s team, led by dual Beijing gold medallist Rebecca Adlington, the locals are quietly confident they are up to the job in London.
Less than a week out from Australia’s Olympic trials in Adelaide, British head coach Dennis Pursley warned that his team was on the up.
“I still think you guys are still the team to beat (for the No.2 spot behind the USA) but I don’t think it is so far out of sight that the rest of us can’t be gunning for it,” he told AAP.
Australia and Britain both finished last year’s world titles with two gold medals even if Englishman Liam Tancock’s win in Shanghai was in the non-Olympic 50m backstroke.
Reigning Olympic 400m and 800m freestyle champion Adlington has shown at this week’s selection trials at the Olympic aquatics centre in London that she is back to her best.
Sprinter Fran Halsall, medley swimmer Hannah Miley and butterfly exponent Ellen Gandy should all be in the mix for medals later this year.
Not that it will be just Australia and Britain fighting it out for second spot on the medal table behind the mighty US outfit.
China will be looking to carry their good results from Shanghai to London, not to mention the traditional European powers.
Australia slipped to fourth at last year’s worlds but bagged the third biggest haul of medals in China.
Pursley, who was at the helm of the US team at the 1996 Atlanta Games, said competing at a home Olympics was much more of a positive than a negative.
“It tends to bring out the best in the home athletes,” he said.
“It is so special, you take it every time.”
Pursley put part of Britain’s resurgence in the pool down to Australians Bill Sweetenham and Michael Scott.
Not that all of the work done by former national performance director Sweetenham was fully appreciated.
The uncompromising coach was accused of bullying at one stage as he shook up the British swimming system in the wake of the nation’s poor showing at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Sweetenham resigned in 2007 with Scott taking up the post.
“In the case of Bill, he had to turn the ship around and it is not a very popular job at times,” Pursley said.
“He did all the dirty work, all the hard work and he turned the ship in the right direction.
“He rattled cages and did some good old-fashioned butt-kicking.
“As for Michael Scott, he has done an unparalleled job in getting the infrastructure and support systems in place for the athletes.”
