USC Spartans coach Nathan Doyle has praised a handful of Sunshine Coast swimmers who were selected for the Paralympic Games, and says their best is yet to come.
Five swimmers from the region were picked in the Australian team after the national trials in Adelaide this week.
USC’s Katja Dedekind, Ruby Storm, Keira Stephens and Ben Hance, along with Kawana Waters swimmer Liam Schluter, were announced in the squad on Wednesday night.
Doyle, who is also on the Australian coaching staff, commended his charges.
“We have a group of athletes (at USC) who push each other to their limits,” he said.
“Everyone is willing to put their hand up to be the best they can. I’m really proud of the work they’ve done.
“But this (selection) is just the first step on their road to Tokyo, and we haven’t seen the best of them yet, which is the exciting part.”
Doyle said the region had shown its strength in swimming at the selection trials.
“They represent the entire Coast when they go to these competitions, and we showcased why the Sunshine Coast is one of the sporting capitals of Australia.
“We continue to punch above our weight.”
He said teenager Katja Dedekind can be a genuine medal contender at Tokyo.
The visually impaired (S13) 19-year-old won the 50m freestyle multi-class final at Adelaide, clocking 26.80sec and breaking her own national record.
“She’s got potential to be better each race,” Doyle said.
“She’s always pushing forward and always learning … there’s still a lot of things she can do better.
“I’m really proud of how she’s approached it and the results are definitely reward for her efforts over the last four years.”
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Dedekind captured bronze in the 100m backstroke at the Rio Olympics as a 15-year-old in 2016, before linking with the Spartans.
Doyle said her record-breaking performance at the trials proved she was on the right track for Tokyo and he expected her to be chasing a podium position next month..
“I don’t think it (her swim on Sunday) came as any surprise to the people within the Spartans program.
“But she has definitely made a massive jump forward.
“Not only has she taken out an Australian record and a personal best, but it was the number one time in the world over the last three years.
“So, she’s definitely put herself, from being selected on the Paralympic team, to being a real medal contender.”
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Doyle said the selection trials were just part of the journey.
“This is just a stepping stone for us, we’ve always treated it that way.
“The real goal for us is in 10 weeks time, when it comes to the Paralympics, the largest sports event in the world, to be able to step up and deliver there.”
Meanwhile, Stephens will compete at her first Games after relocating from Hervey Bay to the Sunshine Coast at the start of the year.
“It (here selection) is reward for effort,” he said.
“When she moved to the Coast, she hit the ground running.
“She had a lot to learn and be better in and I’m really pleased to see success from someone who has put the effort in. She now understands what it’s like to be in a high performance environment and we’re starting to see rewards for that effort.
“With another 8 to 10 weeks under her belt, she will go from strength to strength and I can definitely see her taking some big leaps forward at Tokyo.”
Sunshine Coast’s Brendan Burkett, who is the head coach of the national Paralympics swim team, lauded the ability and determination of Schluter after he won the 200m freestyle multi-class final.
The 22-year-old clocked 1min54.46sec to overcome Ricky Betar (1:55.53), and ease under the qualifying mark of 1:56.57.
“He did a really good job in his pet event,” Burkett said.
“He had his portrait signature of coming home strong, to wind down Ricky and win.
“He has the will to win and that (finishing burst) is his strength, that back-end speed.
“He’s not the fastest in the first half of the race but he definitely comes home stronger.
“They worked on a bit of a strategy to try and get out a bit quicker (for the final) but still played to his strength of coming home strong, so it was really good racing.”
Schluter battled through much of 2020, after the threat of COVID-19 postponed the Games for a year 2021, and there were restrictions on training sessions and competitions.
“He has struggled over the last year – I think a number of athletes have,” Burkett said.
“There was the postponement of the Games and all that uncertainty, along with restrictions on when you can train and travel … that definitely had a toll on Liam.”
But he’s bounced into form at just right time.
“He’s got that combination of good athletic ability and a good coaching environment with Michael Sage, that gets him in the right space,” Burkett said,
“Now they know the work they’ve got to do to continue through to Tokyo.”
Schluter, who has an intellectual impairment, is in line to take part at his second Games, after competing in four events at Rio in 2016, where he was a two-time finalist.
He also claimed silver at the Commonwealth Games at the Gold Coast in 2018.
There were a host of Sunshine Coast swimmers who would have come close to selection at the trials, including unlucky USC duo Braedan Jason and Blake Cochrane.
Sunshine Coast swimmers bound for Tokyo Paralympics
Name: Katja Dedekind
Age: 19
Club: USC Spartans
Disciplines: Freestyle and backstroke, S13 (visual impairment)
Games experience: Claimed bronze at Rio 2016, as a 15-year-old
Name: Ruby Storm
Age: 17
Club: USC Spartans
Disciplines: Breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle, individual medley, S14 (intellectual impairment)
Games experience: Nil
Name: Keira Stephens
Age: 18
Club: USC Spartans
Disciplines: Freestyle, breaststroke, individual medley SB9, SM10, S10 (Physical impairment – left hand limb deficiency)
Games experience: Nil
Name: Ben Hance
Age: 20
Club: USC Spartans
Disciplines: Backstroke, butterfly, S14 (intellectual impairment)
Games experience: Nil
Name: Liam Schluter
Age: 22
Club: Kawana Waters
Disciplines: Backstroke, butterfly, freestyle, individual medley S14 (Intellectual Impairment)
Games experience: Featured in two finals at Rio 2016
