Open water swimmer Nick Sloman is determined to press his claims for an Olympics berth when he attempts to defend his national title at Coolum.
The 23-year-old from Peregian Beach has enjoyed strong form during the past few years he will need to finish in the top two at Oz Ski Resort to have any chance of getting to Tokyo.
Most competitors haven’t raced over 10km for almost a year, due to the impacts of COVID-19.
“So, I don’t really know what to expect,” Sloman said.
“I’m just going into the race with faith I can get the job done.
“I’ve raced some of the Queensland boys over a shorter distance, but we’ll see how everyone goes over 10km.
“It’s a real test of ability and to see if you have done the hard work during the off-season.”
“When you do 10km, you can’t hide if you haven’t done the work.”
The national title race is expected to be a grind.
“It will be very flat,” he said.
“It’s quite protected because of all the trees surrounding the lake and it’s freshwater so it will be a different sort of dynamic.
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“We won’t have that extra buoyancy, so it’s going to be important to stay with someone and conserve my energy as much as possible in the early stages of the race and then hopefully we can get in a breakaway towards the end.”
Sloman is set to face threats from the likes of Kai Edwards, Hayden Cotter and Kawana swimmer Bailey Armstrong.
The top two placegetters will earn spots at an Olympic qualifying event in Japan in May. The top Australian there will likely get a place at the Games.
Sloman’s club-mate at Noosa Swim Club, Kareena Lee, has already qualified for the Games.
She will also try to defend her national title this weekend.
Several Sunshine Coasters will be in action at the championships, competing in a variety of divisions and distances.
The Australian Open Water Swimming Championships will be held at Oz Ski Resort, Coolum, on March 13-14. The men’s 10km race will be on Saturday, from 7.30am, and the women’s 10km race will be on Saturday from 10.15am.
