With the world alight with the Olympic Dream, it is hard not to feel excited about the weeks to come as Tokyo 2020 is finally here.
Following on from an extremely successful Olympic Trials, the Australian Dolphins Swim Team is looking to outperform the three golds, four silvers and three bronzes at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
From a WA perspective, Brianna Throssell, Tamsin Cook and Zac Incerti alongside coach Michael Palfery will be looking to represent their State with pride after being selected at the 2021 Olympic Trials.
For Throssell, Tokyo 2020 will be her second Olympics and has been a long time coming, after stating the impact the past 12 months has had on her training. Throssell however, has battled through the numerous lockdowns and training disturbances to be in career-best form, swimming the 5th fastest time of 2021 in the 200m Butterfly.
Throssell will enter the 200m Butterfly as an outside shot for a medal, with a personal best time of 2:06.58 and experience at the highest level having swum in the final at Rio. Throssell will battle superstars of the sport such as Boglarka Kapas, Regan Smith and Katinka Hosszu with the heats starting on July 27 at 5:30 pm (AWST).
Throssell will also be featured in the Women’s 100m Butterfly and will enter the race ranked 10th, with another potential final on the line.
Joining Throssell at her second Olympics is Tamsin Cook who made the team in the Women’s 400m Freestyle after a remarkable comeback. Tamsin who had left the sport in 2018, sent shockwaves throughout the swimming world swimming a personal best of 4:04.10 in June. Cook’s time ranks her 5th going into Tokyo, putting her in strong contention for the minor medals.
Whilst Cook will be competing against Katie Ledecky and Ariarne Titmus, her rapid improvement since returning to the sport will put her as one to watch, when they swim their heats on July 25 at 5:30 pm (AWST).
The third WA representative, Incerti will make his Olympic debut in Tokyo and look to extend his fantastic form in the Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay. Incerti, alongside his teammates, was impressive at the 2021 Olympic trials, swimming 1:46.18, a time which would be competitive in the individual field.
Incerti will join forces with the likes of Kyle Chalmers, Mack Horton and Elijah Winnington to compete against the USA, Great Britain and Russia. As the defending World Champions, Australia will bring a lot of confidence into the race, however, the USA remains a force to be reckoned with having won every Gold since the 2000 Olympics, where Australia famously took the honor.
The heats will take place on July 27, with Australia expecting to break their 13-year medal drought.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics will start on July 23, with the first swimming session starting on July 24. Heats sessions will begin at 5:30 pm (AWST) and finals running from 9 am (AWST) with all action live on 7 Plus. Additionally more information about the Olympic schedule and results can be found here, https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/swimming/olympic-schedule-and-results.htm or via Swimming Australia social media platforms.
A breakdown of our WA swimmers can be found below;
Brianna Throssell –
Women’s 100m Butterfly –
Personal Best – 57.02
Ranking – 10th
Heat – Session 1 – Saturday July 24
Semi – Session 2 – Sunday July 25
Final – Session 4 – Monday July 26
Women’s 200m Butterfly
Personal Best – 2:06.48
Ranking – 9th
Heat – Session 7 – Tuesday July 27
Semi – Session 8 – Wednesday July 28
Final – Session 10 – Thursday July 29
Tamsin Cook –
Women’s 400m Freestyle –
Personal Best – 4:04.10
Ranking – 5th
Heat – Session 3 – Sunday July 25
Final – Session 4 – Monday July 26
Australia –
Women’s
4x100m Freestyle Relay
Heat – Session 1 – Saturday July 24 Final – Session 2 – Sunday July 25
4x100m Medley Relay
Heat – Session 13 – Saturday July 31 Final – Session 15 – Sunday August 1
4x200m Freestyle Relay
Heat – Session 9 – Wednesday July 28 Final – Session 10 – Thursday July 29
Men’s
4x100m Freestyle Relay
Heat – Session 3 – Sunday July 25 Final – Session 4 – Monday July 26
4x100m Medley Relay
Heat – Session 13 – Saturday July 31 Final – Session 15 – Sunday August 1
4x200m Freestyle Relay
Heat – Session 7 – Tuesday July 27 Final – Session 8 – Wednesday July 28
Mixed
4x100m Medley Relay
Heat – Session 11 – Thursday July 29 Final – Session 14 – Saturday July 31
