By Stephen J. Thomas
BATH, England, September 20. TWO regular members of the Australian swim team have recently moved to train in England at the University of Bath following competition at Pan Pacs in Canada last month.
The globetrotting 26-year-old Michelle Engelsman, a finalist in the 50 freestyle at the Athens Olympics, was most recently based at the Race Club in Florida but previously with squads in Sydney and Melbourne. She will link up with coach Kim Swanwick, who has been based at Bath since the beginning of last year. Swanwick has been associated with another well-travelled athlete, the former Brit and now New Zealand representative sprint breaststroker Zoe Baker. Engelsman has an impressive PR of 24.80 from the Olympic trials in 2004, but was well outside that time finishing sixth in the final at Pan Pacs.
Distance specialist Sarah Paton, 19, has taken up an academic scholarship at the University, moving from the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra where she has been based for most of her senior career. Paton finished ninth in the 800 freestyle at the Athens Olympics and had also been a member of the past two World Champs team and a finalist in the 800 free at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.