Fraser-Holmes returns to Dolphins Team for World Short Course in China
Swimming Australia: 27 October, 2018: Dual Olympian Thomas Fraser Holmes has made a stunning comeback onto the 20-strong Australian Dolphins Swim team for the upcoming FINA World Short Course Championships in Hangzhou, China in December.
Fraser-Holmes spent 12 months on the sidelines through 2017-18 after serving a suspension for missing three drug tests and not updating his “whereabouts”, but has returned to the Australian team under astute coach Michael Bohl at Griffith University.
Victory in the 400m individual medley on the final night of the Australian Short Course Championships in Melbourne last Saturday night and 12 months of grit determination and training for the sport he loves, sealed his return.
The 27-year-old will re-unite with fellow Rio Olympians Mitch Larkin (St Peters Western), Cam McEvoy (TSS Aquatic) and Emily Seebohm (Brisbane Grammar) in a team that includes eight survivors from the last World Short Course Championships in Windsor in 2016 and seven rookies.
The team was named after three days of swimming at the Hancock Prospecting Australian Short Course Championships held at the Melbourne Aquatic Centre.
Backing up from the past two World Short Course Championships will be world champions Larkin and Seebohm while Minna Atherton (Brisbane Grammar), Carla Buchannan (Acacia), Ariarne Titmus (St Peters Western), Jack Gerrard (Melbourne Vicentre), Alex Graham (Bond) and Jess Hansen (Nunawading) were also in snow capped Windsor.
Making their Australian Dolphins debuts will be Nicholas Brown (UWA West Coast), Abbey Harkin (St Peters Western), Jorden Merrilees (Melbourne Vicentre), Jenna Strauch (Bond), Cameron Jones (St Peters Western) David Schlicht (MLC) and Grayson Bell (TSS Aquatic).
Brown swam to victory in the 200m butterfly on night one of the qualifying meet with Harkin taking out the 400m individual medley on the same night.
Merrilees qualified for the team with his second place in the men’s 200m backstroke on Friday night along with Strauch whose win in the 200m breaststroke clinched her place.
Jones made the qualifying time in men’s 50m freestyle, with Schlicht making the time for selection following his silver in the men’s 400m IM.
Seebohm took her list of Australian short course titles to an unsurpassed 31 gold medals after claiming five titles in the 50, 100 and 200m backstroke and the 100 and 200m individual medley.
Larkin was again the stand out in the men’s events – also claiming five titles in the 50, 100 and 200m backstroke and the 100 and 200m individual medley.
Australian Head Coach Jacco Verhaeren said the team is a good mix of experience and athletes early in their careers.
“We are half way into the Olympic cycle so this team will get some good race experience and take a lot out of being on team and training and preparing with this group of athletes,” Verhaeren said.
“It is great to have the leadership of some really experienced multi-campaigners like Emily, Cam, and Mitch. To have athletes with that experience on team is a real plus for everyone.
“It is fantastic to see Cam McEvoy make a return to the Dolphins team after three months working with his new coach Chris Nesbit.
“Short Course is an event that is growing in attention internationally and we will face very tough competition in China from other nations who have well established short course swimmers.”
Verhaeren also confirmed the coaches selected to travel with the team are David Lush (Brisbane Grammar), Dean Boxall (St Peters Western), Chris Nesbit (TSS Aquatic) and Scott Talbot (Nunawading).
“It is always our goal to lift our performances from these selection events to major international meets and this group of coaches will add great value and guidance in achieving this,” he added.
The team includes 14 Queenslanders, four from Victoria and two from WA.
The following swimmers made themselves unavailable for selection for the World Short Course Championships due to different priorities in their training and competition plans: Kyle Chalmers (Marion) Jack McLoughlin (Chandler), Lani Pallister (Alexandra Headland), Elijah Winnington (Bond), Matthew Wilson (SOPAC), Emma McKeon (Griffith Uni) and Laura Taylor (TSS).
The team leaves for China on December 6 with racing to begin on December 11.
The Australian Dolphins Short Course World Championship team is as follows:
|
Name |
Club |
Qualifying event |
|
Minna Atherton |
Brisbane Grammar, QLD |
100m, 200m backstroke |
|
Holly Barratt |
Rockingham, WA |
50m freestyle |
|
Grayson Bell |
TSS Aquatic, QLD |
50m breaststroke |
|
Nicholas Brown |
UWA West Coast, WA |
200m butterfly |
|
Carla Buchanan |
Acacia Bayside, QLD |
400m freestyle |
|
Jack Gerrard |
Melbourne Vicentre, VIC |
Relay only swimmer |
|
Alexander Graham |
Bond, QLD |
200m freestyle |
|
Madeleine Gough |
TSS Aquatic, QLD |
800m freestyle |
|
Jessica Hansen |
Nunawading, VIC |
100m breaststroke |
|
Abbey Harkin |
St Peters Western, QLD |
400m IM |
|
Thomas Fraser-Holmes |
Griffith University, QLD |
400m IM |
|
Cameron Jones |
St Peters Western, QLD |
50m freestyle |
|
Mitchell Larkin |
St Peters Western, QLD |
200m IM, 200m backstroke |
|
Cameron McEvoy |
TSS Aquatic, QLD |
100m freestyle, |
|
Jorden Merrilees |
Melbourne Vicentre, VIC |
200m backstroke |
|
Emily Seebohm |
Brisbane Grammar, QLD |
100m, 200m backstroke |
|
David Schlicht |
MLC, VIC |
400 IM |
|
Jenna Strauch |
Bond, QLD |
200m breaststroke |
|
Ariarne Titmus |
St Peters Western, QLD |
400m, 800m freestyle |
|
Louis Townsend |
Rackley, QLD |
100m freestyle |