Swimming: Baker aims to beat former team-mates to gold

Zoe Baker

If 29-year-old Zoe Baker stands on the podium at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games next year with a gold medal, it's a fair bet there will be no prouder Kiwi.

Baker, a Commonwealth Games gold medallist for England at Manchester in 2002 and a former world record holder in her favourite 50m breaststroke event, has set herself a stiff task but does not lack for motivation in Melbourne.

Baker's recent decision to switch allegiance to New Zealand - where she has been living and training since 1996 although continuing to swim for England and Britain - drew a few predictably arch comments about the British-born swimmer taking the spot (and funding) of a New Zealand-born swimmer.

But Baker did not let it put her off her stroke and she will be part of a New Zealand team of record size for an overseas Commonwealth Games. Her determination to prove herself as a Kiwi and her belief that she is recapturing her best form are driving her towards that podium.

Once swimmers and other athletes start to get that prefix "former", it can be hard to halt the downward momentum but Baker is buoyed by her return to world class form.

"Right now, the most important thing to me is to compete for New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games," Baker said. "I want to defend my title, this time as a Kiwi. And I desperately want to win a gold medal for New Zealand.

"It's very exciting. I get the chance to beat the Australians and Brits in Australia. I couldn't think of anything better."

She's referring to her parting with the British swim team - a departure that occurred before accusations surfaced that British Swimming's performance director Bill Sweetenham was bullying swimmers and had created what was termed a "poisonous" atmosphere that 13 swimmers quit the sport or the team after the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Baker isn't focusing on such things - nor on her peerless record as a breaststroke sprinter. She won Commonwealth gold at Manchester, she is a three-time world champs medallist, held four world records, four Commonwealth records and 12 European records.

She is focusing on the next few months as she intends to get into gold medal winning form. It won't be easy. Her world record, which stood for three years, was beaten by Australian Jade Edmistone at the Montreal world champs this year, when Baker finished fifth.

"I am driven by that. Jade has beaten me a few times now but I believe I can win that race and prove to the Brits I still have what it takes. And do it as a Kiwi.

"My home is here. I have new friends here and my second family is here. I've been made to feel so welcome in the swimming environment there. It's not like other places - it's like swimming used to be. There's no egos in the team and everyone supports each other."

Baker is consistently in the low 31 seconds for the 50m breaststroke but she's going back to the future to get back under the 31-second barrier needed to win in Melbourne.

"Generally swimmers don't race enough here in New Zealand and I've fallen into that trap. So I'm going to race a lot in the next three months in Europe, the United States and Australia, as well as join up with some top European sprinters for a week.

"I believe that will get me back to my very best. Then I need to put it all together on the day."

She also hopes she can compete for New Zealand in the medley relay. If she can qualify as a 100m breaststroker, she could be an essential component of a 4x100m women's individual medley team, which could be a medal contender with Baker on board.

"I'd love to do it but it's not the No 1 priority. If I find a long course meeting that fits, then I would love to do it. That would be the best - to be part of a New Zealand relay team that wins a medal.

"Now I'm no longer the hunted. I'm going to be the hunter and I'm hungry for success in Melbourne."

- HERALD ON SUNDAY