MONIQUE’S HOMETOWN CHALLENGE
SHE’LL be plunging into the same pool she trains in every day but Monique Murphy hopes the chance to seal a Commonwealth Games spot can bring out her competitive nature at Swimming Australia’s Para Grand Prix.
Murphy trains with Glenn Baker’s Southport squad at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre, the pool in which the Games will be held next April.
And she hopes today’s chance to snare a ranking that could seal a Games spot will add a level of excitement that will help her excel in an unfamiliar event.
Murphy, whose right leg was amputated below the knee after a balcony fall in 2014, won silver in the 400m freestyle at the Rio Paralympics last year.
But it is the 200m individual medley that will be held in the S10 discipline at the Games, with Murphy needing a time among the top seven in the Commonwealth at tomorrow’s Grand Prix to have a hope of swimming in front of a home crowd next April.
“There’s a bit of pressure, a little bit of nerves, but that just means I care about the event and I want to do well,” Murphy said.
“That’s just the life of an athlete, you deal with the pressure and the nerves and once you hit the water, then it’s just you and your lane and you get down to business.”
Australian Paralympic high performance manager Adam Pine said many of Australia’s top para-swimmers would take part in the event, which doubles as preparation for the world championships later this month.
“Out of the 18 athletes that are going to Mexico next week, we have 12 racing,” Pine said.