Swimming: Champ brings Games prep to NZ

Melissa Gorman has already swum the London Olympic course and says the atmosphere should be great because it is such a good spectator venue. Photo / Getty Images

World champion swimmer Melissa Gorman will be the star turn in the second round of the New Zealand Ocean Swim Series in the Bay of Islands next weekend.

The 2009 10km open swim world champion is crossing the Tasman for the first time to take part in the 3.1km State Paihia Classic.

Gorman, who turns 26 two days after the race, has already qualified for next year's Olympic Games and is using the series to prepare for London. The Paihia event is the first of three races in New Zealand this summer for the super-talented Australian, who finished fourth at the world championships in the 10km open-water event this year in China.

The Australian champion takes on New Zealand champion Cara Baker in what looms as a shootout between the two stars.

"For me this year, the State ocean swim races will play a pretty big part in my preparations for London," said Gorman.

"My focus is primarily on training over the next six months, so these swims will provide the perfect opportunity for me to get in some good race practice without interfering too much with my training schedule.

"There is no substitute for race practice, so while I'm not racing over the Olympic 10km distance, I'll still be able to fine-tune my open-water race skills. It's also quite easy to fly over to New Zealand to race but still keep up my training regime."

It will be a new experience to race in New Zealand for Gorman, who is a multi-Australian champion and was 15th at the Beijing Olympics before her breakthrough world title the next year.

She is thrilled to be able to focus on the Olympics, with half of the field, including the leading New Zealanders, still chasing final qualification next year.

"It is an amazing feeling to have already qualified for London. Following the world champs, I went over with the Australian team to the Olympic test event and got to experience the Olympic course first-hand, so I really am looking forward to it next year. It is such an amazing spectator venue and I think it will be an incredible atmosphere, but obviously I have a lot of hard work to do between now and then.

"Probably one of the biggest benefits about already having qualified is the fact that I can just focus on getting in a good solid block of training, and focus my taper primarily towards the Olympic Games rather than any other meets along the way.

"I am really looking forward to coming to New Zealand to race and see a bit of the country."

First-round winner Baker, the Gold Coast-based Kiwi, will also line up in Paihia to offer a tremendous contest between two of the world's best.

Meanwhile Aussie Trent Grimsey, a close runner-up behind Rotorua's Kane Radford in the opening round in Auckland, is back to compete in Paihia.

With Radford training at altitude in the US, Grimsey will be looking to take the lead in the series and pick up the win at Paihia.

Grimsey is a three-time Australian champion and the leading Australian on world rankings.

His main competition may come from Pakuranga's Stefan Talbot and Auckland's Jonathan Whittle.

Ocean series

Paihia Classic, Bay of Islands, December 10

Capital Classic, Wellington, January 29

La Grande Swim, Akaroa, February 19

Sand to Surf, Mt Maunganui, March 10

King of the Bays, North Shore, March 31