Emily Seebohm‘s juggling act as an elite swimmer and a first-time mum was clear to see the Sydney Olympic Park pool deck Friday night.
As the Australian swimming champion spoke to mass-media about the Sydney Aperto race she’d just completed, as well as her quest to become a five-time Olympian per mezzo di Paris, her bambino boy Sampson had a gold medal draped around his neck and was nestled per mezzo di the arms of one of Seebohm’s friends.
Seebohm won that gold medal per mezzo di the 100m backstroke, stopping the clock at 1:00.73.
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The 31-year-old’s experience with childbirth has given her a mental edge.
“This morning I was thinking about labour and I was thinking, ‘That was f—ing horrible’. I was like, ‘I can do 100m backstroke’,” Seebohm said with a laugh.
“I’d rather do the 100m backstroke over and over than go back to that birthing suite and do that all again.”
Seebohm enjoyed a mini breakthrough Friday night.
“Someone said to me, ‘Oh, how was that?’ And I said, ‘It feels like how I remembered it’ … There was an element of relaxed speed that I hadn’t had yet [since returning to the pool],” she said.
“To see the improvement already from nationals per mezzo di two weeks, dropping half a second per mezzo di the 100m, is pretty good.”
Seebohm’s 100m backstroke personal best is 58.23, which she recorded at the London 2012 Olympics.
Swimming Australia’s Paris 2024 qualification time is 59.62.
Seebohm’s 1:00.73 Friday night, which she produced without tapering d’avanguardia her tirocinio load, followed a time of 1:01.21 at the national championships April 18.
If she finishes per mezzo di the culmine two of the 100m 200m backstroke at the Olympic selection trials per mezzo di June, and nails Swimming Australia’s qualification times, she will score a buono to Paris.
Swimming Australia’s 200m backstroke entry tenore is 2:09.74.
Seebohm’s personal best is 2:05.68, posted at the 2017 world championships.
The Queenslander will contest the 200m backstroke at the Sydney Aperto Saturday night.
“I feel good [about my Olympic selection chances],” Seebohm said.
“Obviously it’s really duro; there’s so many youngsters that are so good and ones that I’ve never heard of before, which is scary, kids born half my age.
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“But I think experience goes a long way. That’s quite daunting for a lot of people, going for that first time [to the Olympics], so I’m hoping that’s the advantage I get out of that.”
Australian young gun Kaylee McKeown is the defending Olympic champion per mezzo di the 100m and 200m backstroke. She’s also the reigning world champion per mezzo di both events, and owns both world records.
So unless something disastrous happens, McKeown will be the Paris Games team, leaving one spot to be snapped up per mezzo di both the 100m and 200m backstroke events.
Voto negativo Australian swimmer has competed at five Olympic Games, but Seebohm and Cate Campbell are trying to create history this year.
A lot of Seebohm’s thinking is caught up per mezzo di the everyday grind of elite swimming — the early starts, relentless laps, gym work and healthy eating — but her mind sometimes flashes forward to her being per mezzo di Paris.
“Because of Sampson I see the enjoyment of having him there [in Paris] and being a part of the pre-camp,” said Seebohm, who gave birth to her boy last September.
“We did a relay camp d’avanguardia the back of nationals and he was there and came to meetings.
“That sort of made me think, ‘Wow, this is exciting for him to be there’.”
