Dolphins ‘on track’ despite a mixed bag

AUSTRALIA’S newly appointed head swimming coach remains confident the Dolphins are on course for a strong showing at this year’s Tokyo Olympics after a week of mixed performances at the national championships.

With the Olympic trials still two months away, Australia’s top swimmers are all still in heavy training so were not at their peak for the championships on the Gold Coast.

Most of Australia’s bigname swimmers produced times that will put them in the frame to win medals in Tokyo but there were also some notable flops, with no one making the Olympic qualifying time in eight events, including six men’s races.

Head coach Rohan Taylor said he was not surprised by the wild variations in the results because swimmers perform differently during heavy training blocks so there is no cause for alarm.

“There were some good performances and some encouraging performances,” Taylor said.

“Obviously the big guns have been consistent and there’s some where you talk to the coach and they believe they’re on track with training.

“So I have an equal feeling at the moment; I’m pretty confident that people are on the right track.”

The brightest news was standout performances by Rio Olympics 100m king Kyle Chalmers and 2019 world 400m champ Ariarne Titmus.

Both are returning from shoulder injuries but each won three races with Chalmers taking out the 50m-100m-200m freestyle treble and Titmus the 200m, 400m and 800m titles.

Rising middle-distance star Elijah Winnington impressed by winning the 400m freestyle after Mack Horton pulled out of the event he won in Rio, raising concerns about his chances of defending his title.