Team all about PBs
Swimmers focus on what they can control
SWIMMING AUSTRALIAN Paralympic Head Coach Brendan Burkett is not putting a number on how many medals he wants his team to win at the upcoming 2019 World Para Swimming Championships.
A former Paralympic gold medallist in the 50m freestyle in 1996, Burkett, took on the role as head coach in late 2018.
He is in his first experience leading a camp in Cairns with his team and says personal bests, and not medals, is what is driving the team.
“We do not focus on medals, we just focus on performance and the things that you can control,” Burkett said.
“Our target is for our athletes to swim a personal best and those are things the athlete, support staff and coaches can control. With that, we will take on the world.
“We have some strategies around how we can pull those things together and what events athletes need to focus on but all in all it is about working about things we can control.”
The Australian Para team are in Cairns until Saturday, working towards the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships, to be held in London, from September 9-15.
London 2019, a key qualifier for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, will be the ninth edition of the World Para Swimming Championships.
After the warm weather training camp athletes will return to their home programs to put finishing touches on their preparations before heading to Manchester on August 30. They will spend a week in Manchester, then travel to London for the titles beginning on Monday, September 9.
“Coming together seven weeks out from the World Para Championships is really important, as it’s a chance to refine race plans, skills and bond as a group,” Burkett said.
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