Coast swimmer in the world fast lane
JAMES Roberts has picked the brain of his coach Ashley Callus to turn himself into a threat in the splash and dash world of the 50m sprint.
Gold Coast product Roberts linked with Olympic relay gold medallist Callus at Somerset College in 2015 after two shoulder reconstructions and recovered enough form and love of the sport to win a place on his second Olympic team in Rio last year.
While the 100m remains his focus for next year’s Commonwealth Games, he failed to make the final at the national titles.
Instead, he won a place on the world championship team in the 50m after finishing second to fellow Gold Coaster Cameron McEvoy at trials and will hit the water in the heats in Budapest today with the fastest men in world swimming.
In a bid to compete on level terms, the 26-year-old Roberts has transformed his training and picked the brains of Callus, the man who still holds the national record in the event at 21.19sec.
“At trials I had a bit of a disappointing 100m but on the first day I had a great 50m and swum a PB in my 50m free (21.91s) and obviously that’s what I made the team for,” Roberts said.
“It came out of left field a bit, I had been working on my speed but never specifically for a 50m, so I’ve been doing a lot more higher-rate intensity stuff that I’ve never really been able to do before with a couple of dodgy shoulders.
“We’ve been working on my start and all these crucial elements that you have to nail for a 50m where everything pays off.”
Just over 20sec and no more than one breath will stand between Roberts and a place in the final 16 when he hits the water in the heat this afternoon (Australian time).
Callus, a member of Australia’s “smash ’em like guitars” winning relay team in Sydney and a world shortcourse 100m champion, has given Roberts every bit of knowledge he has. And the 26year-old is grateful for his coach’s big investment.
“It’s great to have Ash not only coach but mentor me,” Roberts said.
“He sees himself more of a manager role as a coach really. We work really well together and bounce ideas off each other and it’s been a good working relationship.”
After a recurring back injury followed by his shoulder problems, Roberts had fallen out of love with swimming.
But he said returning to the Gold Coast from his former Australian Institute of Sport base in Canberra and linking with Callus, helped.
“I’m enjoying my swimming again,” he said.
“And being home on the Gold Coast and finding that happiness re-energised me and I want to go on to Tokyo now and potentially make my third Olympic Games.”