ALL eyes turn to Adelaide this week as Swimming Australia whittles down a league of hopefuls into the finalised Olympic Games swimming team. One of those hopefuls is local swimmer Josh Beaver, who has been training for this week for the last two years. His eye is set for Saturday 9 April (100m backstroke), Tuesday 12 April (200m backstroke) and Wednesday 13 April (50m backstroke) in particular. He talked with JARROD POTTER earlier this year about what it will take to make his inaugural Olympic Games team.
THERE is every temptation to get ahead of himself in pursuit of a maiden Olympic Games, but Tooradin swimmer Josh Beaver is just taking it stroke by stroke.
The 22-year-old is on the verge of making the Australian Dolphins – the country’s national swimming team – after a solid year in the pool saw him fly up the ranks before the Rio trials.
The Commonwealth Games medallist is in peak form, heading into the biggest year yet in his swimming career.
Beaver reaped some great results at the recently held Victorian Age Championships with a clean sweep of backstroke silver medals to start 2016 positively.
It sets the stage for two final warm up meets before the national championships – which this year counts as the trials for the Olympic Games.
After that? All his attention will focus on the 2016 Australian Swimming Championships.
“I’m really in a good position for trials at the moment,” Beaver said. “Vic states I use more as an indicator to see where I am compared to the rest of the world and myself based off times in previous years.
“I’m swimming faster than I did mid-way through last year, which is obviously positive, having made a few changes with training and lifestyle choices and it’s paying off.”
He’s got speed on his side early in the season – well before he expected to get up to full pace in his training – and Beaver hopes to ride those times all the way to South America this August.
But it’s not enough to have the times, and he knows there’s a lot left to do before he gets his ticket to Rio – so his mind is set on minute details week-to-week.
“I just want to get all the little things right to begin with,” Beaver said.
“I want to make the Rio team, but I realise there’s a lot of things I need to do between now and then and getting all the little things right that will help that process,” Beaver said. “There are a lot of steps for qualifying for the team and I just want to tick off each on the road.”
The magnitude of the trials – one race per event to decide whether or not someone qualifies for the Olympics – has weighed on him a bit, but Beaver is ready to make the most of the rare opportunity.
“It’s sort of an uncomfortable feeling knowing that your whole four-year block comes down to this one swim to qualify for the Rio Olympics,” Beaver said. “It’s a whole lot of pressure dumped on you at once, but I’ve been in that position before, and I’m sure I’ll be in that position again.
“It’s just a matter of how I execute and stay mindful of what I’m doing – just letting the race take care of itself.
“I’m sure I’ll get caught up in the moment and the adrenaline rush and everything that comes with being in an Olympic trial final, but I just need to stay composed.”
He made the switch from the Casey TigerSharks to Nunawading last year and has loved everything of his new club … except the drive to training.
“Loving it – ‘loving’ the drive,” Beaver said. “It’s a little bit more of a commute, but the guys are really supportive.
“Rohan (Taylor), my new coach, understands and he’s all about the athlete, which is really good, and looking forward to the upcoming months and what carries on beyond there.”
All eyes will turn to the Australian Swimming Championships, held in Adelaide from 7-14 April.
