Well this aim of the selection policy is to "optimise medal outcomes.", so athletes like Kieran Bird would likely understand why they were not picked as they really have no chance of medalling or providing cover for a medal contending relay. Personally I think that the 100 fly leg on the relay shouldn't necessarily be given to an athlete at trials in April, as form can change dramatically since then. I think they take all 3, and I think the 30 selection limit still allows this, and then allows the most in form to swim on the relays, in order to maximise the "medal outcome".
It just seems perverse to have someone so close to selection miss out after having a good champs while someone has a bad champs and goes anyway. Arguably rewards faluire.
Have been giving this some thought and there is a way that Litchfield, Guy and Peters could all get selected...and all come away with medals.
Take Litchfield purely as a relay swimmer and use him in the heats of the 4x200 and either the heats or final of the medley relays.
Take James Guy as a relay swimmer for the 4x200 and for the medley relays
Take Jacob Peters for the individual 100 fly and use him in either the heats or final of the medley relays.
Unfortunately, that scenario would probably mean that Kieran Bird would miss out and wouldn't work if we have any surprise qualifiers over the next couple of days but would probably put the relays in strong positions to get on to the podium.
I don’t think Peters is being taken unless Guy does not qualify in the top 4 of 200m. I think they want to reduce controversy by leaving out someone seem as a favourite of the selectors who has done poor so it doesn’t look like the discretion rule just lets the underperformers all in anyway.
Considering Medi's situation it would hardly be crazy. Most people were surprised that she even took part in these champs at all.
True. Through with the relay focus I’m not sure any relay swimmer will do individuals unless they fairly confident they will make the final. Harris can make the final but not s certainty she does.
Peters will be on the train. There is enough wiggle room to get him in, but it is rather interesting that Joe has made it in. More cover for 200m relay and now Jimmy is really at risk. He needs to deliver in the 200m.
Some think guy has been focusing on the 200m free more than any others.
I think given that, bar today, Peters has proven to be the better fly swimmer by quite a bit they would probably get away with a could class today as an "off race" for Peters. Given what's gone on throughout the week, I think a few tweaks might need to be made to the selection policy - such as letting relay qualifies swimmers get OQT times at Mare Nostrum and Euros as I don't think British Swimming really want to be accepting OCT invites.
I'd agree it makes sense to take Peters - they need the relay cover. But in that scenario, would Peters be allowed to swim the individual ahead of the British Champion? For me, Litchfield has to be encouraged to go and get the OQT before the end of the qualifying window
That won’t happen if guy makes it. He will be the cover,
Litchfield might be a relay only swimmer and scratch the individual.
He has the OCT but is off the OQT by 0.04. Something which could help Peters and potentially give him the edge over Gammon is the fact he achieved the BST in the heats, meaning they'll be able to enter him into the individual if he's taken as relay cover without having to undermine their selection policy too much. Harsh on Gammon, but in my opinion it's the better option.
He has the OCT but is off the OQT by 0.04. Something which could help Peters and potentially give him the edge over Gammon is the fact he achieved the BST in the heats, meaning they'll be able to enter him into the individual if he's taken as relay cover without having to undermine their selection policy too much. Harsh on Gammon, but in my opinion it's the better option.
I don’t think they will do that. Would be too harsh.
Litchfield will be the only fly swimmer Unkess guy gets 4th in the 200m.
Andy Jamieson has been talking about the selection policies this morning for the juniors and the Olympics. He was full of praise for the new crop of juniors that we've got coming through and highlighted that we've already got something like 40+ swimmers who had achieved the consideration time but at no point did he question why the selection policy was going to limit the team to 30.
Likewise with the Olympic policy, he's just blindly accepted the policy without questioning the team limit. At least when it came to the Paralympic policy the team size was explained.
I reckon they'd want a second, younger swimmer competing in the Women's 50 free at the Olympics this year to get that experience for future games. In the nicest way possible Anna is getting on a bit now and it's quite unclear if she'll even do LA in 4 years time. The splash and dash is one of the marquee events of every games, and not having a representative in it would be majorly embarrassing on our part. My guess is they let her choose whether she wants to do is, as she's definitely more than capable of dropping almost 3 tenths off her time despite how hard it is.
I doubt they care about that one bit.
Through they might well be interested in the fact Eva Okaro is mixed race and would add some diversity to what is rather white team if she is there in some capacity - something that might come in handy also if funding issues occur post Paris.
Just to be clear on the point I was making with this was the suggestion that Foster (and others have made) was that by finishing in the top 6 in this event, you would likely be selected as relay cover but I don't think that will be the case - for example I can't see Cumberlidge being selected. At the moment, I think it is looking very unlikely that we will be taking anyone purely as relay cover - they will rely instead on the people who have qualified for the individual events.
They might if no one gets the time in 200m Breast for men unless they want Peaty uncovered.
In other news, the Bath PC team have had a pretty awful meet thus far. Not sure they've got any individual qualifiers at the moment.
Sounds obvious but I think what happens in the 50/200 will greatly impact who goes in the relay as back up. You would presume that Jimmy Guy will be under consideration as well as those in the final tonight.
Thinking of the relay - does anyone know if GB Aquatics do relay training? I think the athletics squads have specific training sessions dedicated to the relays but can't recall them ever being mentioned in relation to swimming
Athletics mostly only does that becuase of the batton.
Posted (edited)
It just seems perverse to have someone so close to selection miss out after having a good champs while someone has a bad champs and goes anyway. Arguably rewards faluire.
Edited by Orangehair43Link to post
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