Star Of Tokyo Will Martin Spearheads Australian Dolphins For World Para Championships
Triple Tokyo Paralympic champion Will Martin is among five 2020 individual gold medallists named tonight on the Australian Dolphins Swim Team tor this year’s World Para Swimming Championships.
TOKYO STAR: Will Martin one of five individual gold medallists from Tokyo for World Para Champion ships. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
The 21-strong squad (12 men and nine women) , selected at the conclusion of a successful four-day Australian Multi-Class Championships in Adelaide, contains 19 athletes returning from Tokyo.
Martin (Nudgee College, QLD ) will be joined by fellow Queensland individual gold medallists Rowan Crothers (Yeronga Park), Benjamin Hanse (USC Spartans, QLD) , Rachael Watson (Nudgee College, QLD) and Lakeisha Patterson (Belgravia, QLD).
The Tokyo 400m freestyle gold medallist actually played second fiddle to Tokyo team mate, Brenden Hall, the winner of the two previous Paralympics in London and Rio.Less than a quarter-of-a-second separated Hall (4:14.05) and Martin (4:14.29), the two S9 competitors, at the end of the “two horse race” at the SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre,
Hanse is one of five swimmers from the USC Spartans program on the Sunshine Coast with fellow Tokyo team mates Emily Beecroft, Tom Gallagher, Keira Stephens and Ruby Storm joined by one of Para swimming’s most successful coaches in Nathan Doyle.
PAIGE VIEW: Paralympian Paige Leonhardt on the fly to Portugal,. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
And the young Queenslander lit up the pool in Adelaide, clocking a sizzling 56.90, just .02 outside his own world record in the stand-out performance of the four-day championships.
And in a blockbuster field in the men’s 200m freestyle as the only event available for S14 athletes at this year’s Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Hance claimed the title in a new Australian Record time of 1:54.08, ahead of Liam Schluter (USC Spartans, QLD) – 1:57.26 and Jack Ireland (University of Queensland) 1:59.27.
Meanwhile WA’s 16-year-old West Alex Saffy will make his Dolphins debut as the sole rookie and youngest member while five-time Australian Paralympian Matthew Levy (2004-2020) the oldest at 35.
Swimming Australia CEO, Eugénie Buckley, congratulated the team on their selection, saying: “Our Tokyo Paralympic campaign set an excellent standard and I have no doubt this team will again represent us strongly as we reset for the first international benchmark event of this new cycle.”
The Dolphins team will be led by Head Coach Brenden Burkett and supported by Performance Coach Greg Towle and Team Coaches Nathan Doyle, David Proud, Kate Sparkes and Martin Roberts.
The 2022 World Championships will be swum in Madeira, Portugal from June 12-18.
2022 World Para Swimming Championships Australian Dolphins team
Emily Beecroft (USC Spartans, QLD)
Katja Dedekind (Yeronga Park, QLD)
Tom Gallagher (USC Spartans, QLD)
Jasmine Greenwood (Bay & Basin,NSW)
Brenden Hall (Belgravia, QLD)
Benjamin Hance (USC Spartans, QLD)
Timothy Hodge (Blacktown,NSW)
Jack Ireland (University of Queensland, QLD)
Paige Leonhardt (Belgravia, QLD)
Matthew Levy (North Sydney,NSW)
William Martin (Nudgee College, QLD)
Madeleine McTernan (All Saints, QLD)
Jake Michel (Carina Leagues, QLD)
Grant Patterson (Central Cairns, , QLD)
Lakeisha Patterson (Belgravia, QLD)
Col Pearse (Nunawading, VIC)
Alex Saffy (Bunbury, WA)
Keira Stephens (USC Spartans, , QLD)
Ruby Storm (USC Spartans, , QLD)
Rachael Watson (Chandler, QLD)
Coaching Staff:
Brendan Burkett – Head Coach
Greg Towle – Performance Coach
Nathan Doyle – USC Spartans
David Proud – Nudgee College
Kate Sparkes – Yeronga Park
Martin Roberts – Australian Institute of Sport
MAKING A SPLASH: Blacktown’s Tim Hodge in action in Adelaide. Photo Courtesy:Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
TOP FIVE: Keira Stephens one of five USC Spartans off to Portugal. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).