By IANS,
Sydney: Australia Tuesday announced a 48-member swimming contingent for the New Delhi Commonwealth Games that includes 2008 Olympic champion Stephanie Rice and former world record holder Eamon Sullivan.
Rice won three gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and currently holds the world record in the 400 m individual medley.
Geoff Huegill and rising star Yolane Kukla are also part of the contingent and along with Rice and Sullivan won gold at the Australian Swimming Championships here this week.
Although the final team will not be announced until after the Pan Pacific Championships in August, all swimmers who won gold or silver in an individual event at this week’s selection trials are now destined for Delhi, according to the Australian Olympic Committee.
At 31 years of age, Huegill and freestyle sprinter Ashley Callus are the oldest in the team while 14-year-old Brisbane schoolgirl Kukla is the youngest.
For Callus, it will be his fourth Commonwealth Games equalling Adam Pine’s record of four consecutive Games.
Breaststroke champion Leisel Jones will be heading to her third Commonwealth Games having already won seven gold medals at her previous two – three in Kuala Lumpur and four in Manchester.
“We’ve seen some fantastic results in the pool this week, some new names – and some old ones – and our swimmers always play an important role in the success of the team at the Games,” said Australian Commonwealth Games Association CEO Perry Crosswhite.
“Whilst the final contingent of swimmers will not be confirmed until August, I would like to congratulate all athletes who have been selected this week, especially those (29) swimmers who will be making their Commonwealth Games debut.”
The squad:
Men: Daniel Arnamnart, Leith Brodie, Craig Calder, Ashley Callus, Nicholas D’Arcy, Ashley Delaney, Tommaso D’Orsogna, Nicholas Frost, Thomas Fraser-Holmes, Jayden Hadler, Geoff Huegill, Robert Hurley, Andrew Lauterstein, Ryan Napoleon, Cameron Prosser, Brenton Rickard, Christian Sprenger, Hayden Stoeckel, Eamon Sullivan, Christopher Wright, Peter Leek, Matthew Cowdrey, Ben Austin, Blake Cochrane and Andrew Pasterfield.
Women: Bronte Barratt, Alicia Coutts, Sophie Edington, Blair Evans, Felicity Galvez, Katie Goldman, Marieke Guehrer, Melissa Gorman, Samantha Hamill, Belinda Hocking, Leisel Jones, Sarah Katsoulis, Yolane Kukla, Samantha Marshall, Alice Mills, Meagen Nay, Kylie Palmer, Leiston Pickett, Stephanie Rice, Jessicah Schipper, Emily Seebohm, Ellie Cole and Annabelle Williams.