#Glasgow2014 Preview: Swimming

Published On: 23 July 2014

The Australian swim teams' Tollcross campaign is sure to be one of the key stories from the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games

By Australia’s lofty standards swimming is a non-negotiable, the Aussie swim team must top the medal table in Glasgow.

As competition gets underway at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre, some five kilometres east of Glasgow on the northbank of the River Clyde, much of Australia’s collective audience will be tuned in to see if Australia’s elite can protect its status as rulers of the Commonwealth pools.

Western Australia will be represented by five swimmers in Glasgow as part of the Australian squad, with Kat Downie, Jessica Pengelly, Madeline Scott, Sally Hunter and Tommaso D’Orsogna all preparing for competition.

Jessica Pengelly has the opportunity to be WA’s first Commonwealth medallist in Glasgow, competing in the women’s 400m individual medley at the Tollcross complex.

Pengelly will race heats on Thursday July 24, starting from 5.33pm Perth time. The final, is scheduled at 2.07am (July 25).

Dual Paralympic champion Kat Downie will have added motivation to perform in Glasgow, with the young West Aussie competing in her country of birth, with family members from Scotland sure to be in the stands cheering her on.

Downie’s competition schedule includes swims in the women’s 100m breaststroke SB9 and 200m individual medley SM10. First up is the 100m breast, with Downie set to swim heats from 6.24pm Perth time on Sunday July 27, with the final at 3.02am (July 28) as she chases a Commonwealth medal on debut. The medley follows on Tuesday July 29, with heats from 5.52pm Perth time and the final at 3.03am (July 30).

Madeline Scott will join Downie in competing for Australia in the 100m breaststroke event. Scott likewise has Scottish heritage and is making her debut at Commonwealth level too.

Sally Foster will become very familiar with the Tollcross pool, with the now South Australia based swimmer competing in the 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke, with a potential medley relay spot also on offer.

The 50m breast is first on pool deck, with the five heats starting from 6.36pm Perth time on July 24. The semi-finals follow at 3.00am on July 25, with the final at 2.12am Perth time on July 26.

Hunter’s 200m breast campaign kick-starts on July 26, with qualifying (four heats) from 5.46pm Perth time. The final follows that evening, at 2.36am (July 27) Perth time.

The 100m breast also follows a heats, semis through to final format, with the heats (six heats) starting at 7.07pm Perth time on July 27, followed by semis from 3.28am (July 28). The final will be held at 3.26am on July 29 Perth time.

23 year-old sprint swimmer Tommaso D’Orsogna will take on the freestyle sprint events, with the WA born, Brisbane based dasher a strong medal prospect in Glasgow.

D’Orsogna will form part of the Australian men’s 4x100m freestyle relay team in Glasgow in a squad that is firmly favoured for gold. The Australians race the heat (three heats) from 7.08pm on Friday July 25 Perth time, with the final scheduled for that evening’s medal races at 4.25am Perth time (Jul 26).

The medicine student is also in line to contest the men’s 100m free and 100m butterfly events for Australia. The blue-ribband men’s 100m event has ten heats starting at 6.42pm on Saturday July 26 Perth time, with semi finals from 3.25am Perth time (Jul 27). The final will be swum at 2.14am Perth time (Jul 28).

D’Orsogna will start his 100m fly campaign with heats (six heats) starting from 6.50pm Perth time on July 27, followed by evening semi-finals from 3.17am (Jul 28). The final will be raced at 4.20am on July 29 Perth time.

The 59-strong Australian swim team is expected to take top position on the medal table, but will expect strong competition from England, Canada, South Africa and Scotland as well as regional rivals New Zealand.

The Glasgow Commonwealth Games swimming program runs from day one of competition on the 24 July through to Wednesday July 30.