Cate Campbell has provided an exclusive insight into day one of her return to the pool in Brisbane today as Australia’s elite swimmers in the east coast Australian squads rolled up for training for the first time in eight weeks.
The three-time Olympian has kick-started her campaign for a fourth Olympics in next year’s postponed Games in Tokyo diving into familiar waters.
She has re-located back to her home in Queensland, temporarily leaving her “adopted” Sydney base, during the COVID-19 lockdown.
And with a “Swimming Australia hub” open for business for the first time in eight weeks under High Performance coach Vince Raleigh at Chandler’s Sleeman Aquatic Centre, Campbell lapped up the opportunity for a “cruisey” three-and-a-half kilometre session at Brisbane’s traditional home of swimming since 1981 and her old training base.
Cate Campbell joined in the return with all elite squad swimmers under-going temperature testing on arrival and swimming one swimmer per lane.
Filming exclusively for Channel 7, Cate Campbell said: “We took it pretty easy this morning, I think everybody is worried about getting injured but it was nice and cruisey which was wonderful…’an easy three-and-half ks’ the first step is always the hardest….but it was very good to be back in the water..it felt like coming home.”
Australia’s swimmers will now continue their returns around the country, as pools slowly but surely open their doors under the strict COVID-19 training restrictions.
Chris Mooney’s USC Spartans Squad which includes Kaylee McKeown and Jake Packard were also back at the University of Sunshine Coast while Bond University on the Gold Coast re-opened for Richard Scarce and his group including Elijah Winnington and Jenna Stauch.
The Gold Coast Aquatic Centre will be a hive of activity on Tuesday with the Southport Olympic, TSS Aquatic and Griffith University groups enjoying their first day back.