Incerti Withdraws from Pan Pac Trials
Commonwealth Games medallist Zac Incerti has withdrawn from the Australian swimming selection trials for the Pan Pacific Championships after succumbing to a back complaint.
The Broome-born athlete had suffered aggravation to a disc in the lead up to the Gold Coast Games but managed to take his place on the Australian Dolphins team, collecting a bronze medal on Commonwealth debut in the 50m backstroke.
Despite extensive physiotherapy treatment in the months since, Incerti and his support team made the decision to withdraw from the selection trials to allow the 21 year-old to focus on returning to full fitness.
The UWA West Coast club member said the decision had been a difficult one to reach.
“As some people may already know, I have been struggling with a back injury for the last few months and have made the tough decision to pull out of the Pan Pac trials,” he said on social media.
“I want to thank my team mates and staff for their endless support with this issue and hope to be ready to go one-hundred percent for the next competition.”
Incerti was recently a finalist for the WA Swimmer of the Year Award, following a campaign that saw him swim at the 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapest before competing in the green and gold at a home Games on the Gold Coast in April.
Western Australian swimmer Brianna Throssell has already achieved automatic selection for the Dolphins team to contest this year’s Pan Pacs, whilst other WA representative swimmers such as Holly Barratt, Blair Evans, George Harley and Tommy Sucipto will seek to push their case at the selection trials starting this weekend.
The 2018 Pan Pacific Championship Trials will be held at the SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre from June 30 – July 4.
The Pan Pacific Championships are a quadrennial event, hosted in the even year between the Olympic Games.
In 2018, the Championships will be hosted in Tokyo, Japan. It is the third time that the Pan Pacs have been used a test event for the next Olympic venue, with Atlanta in 1995 and Sydney in 1999 similarly hosting the event in advance of their Olympic Games hosting duties.