Swimming: Loader about to discover his Olympic future

By SUZANNE McFADDEN

The moment of truth is nigh for Danyon Loader.

The double Olympic golden boy has his last chance over the next week to swim into the New Zealand team for the Games.

Loader will have a crack at the 200m freestyle and 100m butterfly in the Australian Olympic trials in Sydney, starting tomorrow. But he needs to shave more than a second off his times in both events to get to the Olympics.

New Zealand coach Brett Naylor said he had no idea what form swimming's enigma was in.

"Who knows? He swam better at the [NZ] nationals than he had for a while, so if he continues that, maybe he will qualify," he said.

Twelve Kiwis are pinning their hopes on the eight-day champs, but the Australians have decreed that they can swim only in the heats.

Naylor rates the best qualifying prospects as Aucklanders Monique Robins and Hannah McLean, and Liz van Wellie, of Dunedin.

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