Pair up for the Games challenge

Rockingham Swimming Club athletes Holly Barratt and Tommy Sucipto are set to compete for their place at the 2018 Commonwealth Games this week.

The 2018 Hancock Prospecting Australian Swimming Trials kick off this week on the Gold Coast, with both Barratt and Sucipto flying the flag for Rockingham in a number of events.

Barratt, who shot to stardom and made history at the national titles last year, will swim in five events including the 50m and 100m backstroke, 50m and 100m butterfly and 50m freestyle.

Sucipto, meanwhile, will test his mettle in competitive field in both the 50m and 100m breaststroke events.

Speaking to the Telegraph before the trials in Queensland, both swimmers said training in the build-up had been hard but would be worth it when the competition heats up.

“This season we’ve both done a lot more volume than we have previously, so a lot of the time we felt like we were in a bit of a hole and can’t get too much speed,” Barratt said. “But I know that by the end of the season and by the time taper is finished, all that hard work is going to pay off and I’ll be really fit and then my speed will come through on race day.”

With so much at stake for the pair as they attempt to qualify for their first Commonwealth Games, Sucipto said the nerves were there. “There are quite a lot of nerves but you can’t take that in a bad way — you just have to deal with it,” Sucipto said. “Everyone is feeling the same way so you can make it work for you.”