GB girls have mindset of champions
Rome, Italy
I love my job in the mixed zone at major meets. My home for 16 sessions of swimming here in Rome is a 70cm by 90cm box with a 1.2m wall separating myself from the athletes.
It's not the most luxurious place to be housed with 200 other reporters all vying for a piece of the victorious athletes in the 35 degree heat, but I do get the honour of speaking to the world's best swimmers immediately after their performances.
Of course it's the Brits I look forward to speaking to most. I can empathise with the emotional highs and lows and pressures that come with donning the national tracksuit.
Last night was hilarious. Jo Jackson told myself and 5 Live listeners that she keeps her medals in her knicker draw and only looks at them once a day!
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As if that wasn't enough her friend Becky Adlington added that they broke the European record and won a bronze medal because they all wore the same lucky pants. Mel Marshall, a retired world number one in the 200m freestyle sent all the girls pink 'lucky pants' before the 4x200m freestyle, and Becky seemed to think they worked.
Apparently, this is a long-standing tradition that has been with the team for many years and has only now come to light.
Obviously, with the tone well and truly lowered the rest of the interview was conducted in a relaxed manner with the girls bouncing off each other. To me this demonstrates why the GB team is becoming so successful.
They have adopted UK Sport's no compromise approach to training and performance, and at the same time are obviously enjoying the journey.
The girls have won four medals here, all in Olympic events, with a possible three more to come.
For years we have had the right support staff in place with bio mechanists, physios, psychologists, nutritionists and experienced coaches, but the mindset of the team has changed.
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They demand success and all believe they can achieve at the highest level. Adlington was obviously the stand out performer last year, but now shares the limelight with warriors like Payne, Jackson, and Spofforth.
Of course the big guns of Adlington, Jackson and McClatchey contributed to last night's medal as they always do, but the key factor in GB standing on the podium was the emergence of another world-class swimmer.
For years Great Britain has lacked a quality 4th swimmer for the relay but with Jaz Carlin posting a world class 1.56, honours was secured. Jaz is an extremely exciting talent - I managed to catch up with her this morning inbetween her drug testing commitments, and although she counts Becky and Jo among her role models she is determined to take them on at a domestic level.
She sees the 400m and 800m freestyle as her best events and at 19,with a European record and world bronze medal in the bag, I see no reason why she can't be key to more GB success on the international stage.
I'm Steve Parry. I won an Olympic bronze medal in Athens and I'll be aiming to give you an insight into the world of swimming as well as all the other Olympic sports.
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~08~RS~)
Comments
The predicament that Swimming is in regarding technology has many parallels to the mess Cycling is in, especially the official hours records.
After the super bikes of Boardman and Obree the governing body banned special bikes, ruling that they should be similar to a 1970 drop handle bar bike.
The aim was to make a common platform for all to compete on, but the move has caused a massive loss of interest in the record attempts.
Unfortunately the same could be true of Swimming. Technology will always play a part and banning ( and policing effectively ) it is difficult. Ultimately fans like to see records broken and British Swimming is on a high right now. I wonder if the governing body has really thought through these decisions?
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I'm fully behind the banning of the techno blah blah blah suits. Swimming is and always should be about the most talented and most committed swimmers taking each other on. It is particularly important in this country (UK) that this is monitored and doesnt come to dominate the sport.
I had a reasonable swimming career and swam against all sorts. You get to know people, and I knew a few very talented swimmers who simply couldnt afford the training fees and all the training aids that come with it and had to stop. It is vital to nations like ourselves where swimming isnt as big as it is in other countries that these extremely expensive "innovations" dont price out many of our best competitors. I know I wouldnt have enjoyed such a career had I been forced in my Speedos (cord always hanging out) to compete against more well off and possibly less talented swimmers who's parents could afford to blow £200 on a suit that would give them extra seconds, taking the NQT's out of reach of those who relied on talent and training alone.
I know a lot swimmers from where I learnt my trade and Mr Parry's will have been in a similar position as youngsters with regards to affording one of these body suits year after year.
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Having swum at a resonable level in my youth and been an avid watcher of swimming since I am delighted that the women at last are in the mindset of believing that they can be winners and are now achieving. What is apparent now is that the British men are now in the mindset that the women were previously in. Everyone is bigger than us, better than us, well we did the best we could!! The interview with the 4x200 men relay yesterday showed that, the comment that the new suits are benefiting the larger men was so typical of losers. The british guys were wearing the new suits so level playing field. Thinking like that before a race shows that they dont believe that they can win. Looking for excuses wastes energy instead they should be using that energy to make themselves improve.
You just need to look at all the medal winners there are all sorts of heights, shapes and sizes that are winners.
Look at the women, now to win at the National championships they have to set world class standards to beat the likes of Becky Addlington, Jo Jackson, the backstrokers, the butterflyers and the other competitors are aspiring to that.
British women are swimming the best they ever have, now lets get the British men achieving by believing in themselves.
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