Kiwi swimmers off to train in Spain

WORLD CHAMPION swimmer Lauren Boyle left for Europe last night and a month of altitude training in Spain.

With newly crowned gold medallist Boyle currently without a coach following the resignation of Mark Regan, the 800m world short course champion and fellow New Zealand Olympian Gareth Kean are linking up with the Spanish high performance team.

The camp comes as a welcome boost at the start of a world championship year – where results will influence athletes’ individual government funding levels (performance enhancement grants).

Running to February 20, the month of training will afford Boyle world-class training partners, joining up with Spanish double Olympic silver medallist Mireia Belmonte and fellow world short course gold medallist Melanie Costa.

For backstroke specialist Kean, who had a poor Olympic campaign in London, it’s a chance for the 2010 Commonwealth Games 200m silver medallist to revitalise his career.

After failing to make a final at London 2012, Kean said he needed to spend more time overseas and he now has a chance to train with Olympic finalist and former world record holder Aschwin Wildeboer.

Boyle and Kean will be based at the Sierra Nevada High Altitude Training Centre, which is owned by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Sport in southern Spain.

Swimming New Zealand sports physiologist Tom Vandenbogaerde will also travel with the duo.

Meanwhile Swimming NZ has begun its search for a new head coach having recently lost both both Regan and Scott Talbot, with the latter switching to the New South Wales Institute in Sydney.

The Sunday Star-Times understands a number of international applications have already been received since the position was advertised on Thursday.