Swimming for individual glory in London

Swimming Australia
Published: Jul 10, 2012 09:50:21 AM Updated: Jul 9, 2012 10:03:59 AM

With a total of 96 medals up for grabs in the pool, our Swim Team will also be looking for individual glory, here’s a snapshot of just some the stars in action at the Aquatic Centre. 

Day 1 – Women’s 400m Individual Medley Final
Current Olympic champion and Beijing golden girl Stephanie Rice will be looking to re-establish herself on the world stage, but will go into the 400m IM as an underdog alongside fellow Aussie Blair Evans from Western Australia. Rice has the fourth fastest 400m IM time in the world this year and will be chasing American and current world champion Elizabeth Beisel.

Day 2 – Women’s 100m Butter­y Final
Five-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist and world championship silver medallist Alicia Coutts will lead Australia’s charge in the women’s 100m fly with  former world record holder and bronze medallist from Beijing Jessicah Schipper also well in the mix.  Both girls have the ability and past experience to medal, and both will start underdogs behind Dana Vollmer from the US. 

Day 3 – Women’s 100m Breaststroke Final
As the current Olympic champion, four-time Olympian Leisel Jones will need all her experience and racing knowledge to hold back world champion Rebecca Soni and rising Australian star Leiston Pickett.  Pickett got the better of Jones at the Olympic Trials in March, while Soni and another youngster in Breeja Larson will also be tough.

Day 4 – Women’s 200m Individual Medley Final
Stephanie Rice and Alicia Coutts will be back in the pool on Day 4 as the medley girls go at it again. A gold medallist and world record breaker in Beijing in this event, Rice will again be watching out for Beisel from the US and China’s Siwen Ye, while Coutts will be keen to improve on her fifth place in the same event in Beijing. 

Day 5 – Men’s 100m Freestyle Final
James ‘The Missile’ Magnussen and James ‘Rocket’ Roberts will load up for what promises to be one of the races of the Games.  Magnussen is half a second quicker than the rest of the world over the distance this year, while Roberts dropped half a second off his PB at the Olympic Trials in March.  The Aussie duo will need to keep an eye on Frenchman Yannick Agnel and Brazilian Cesar Cielo. 

Day 6 – Women’s 100m Freestyle Final
Our women sprinters will get their chance on Day 6 with the Australian pair of Melanie Schlanger and Cate Campbell leading the way over the 100m freestyle. A bronze medallist over 50m in Beijing, Campbell has the experience while Schlanger also knows what it takes having returned to the national team for the first time in four years. 

Day 7 – Men’s 50m Freestyle Final
James Magnussen will return to the water for the men’s 50m freestyle with fellow sprinter and Olympic silver medallist from Beijing, Eamon Sullivan set to line up alongside the 21-year-old.  Magnussen shaved more than half a second off his PB in the event in March, while Sullivan already has runs on the board in Olympic finals.  It will all be over in less than 22 seconds. 

Day 8 – Women’s 50m Freestyle Final
Australia’s sister act will be in action on the final night of competition as Cate and Bronte Campbell look to make history on the Olympic Team.  The first siblings to represent Australia in swimming at an Olympic Games for 40 years, anything can happen in the one lap dash, all you need is a lane in that final.