Three Sydney Uni Swim Club (SUSC) members have today been named in the Australian Paralympic Swimming Team in Canberra, marking 50 days to go until the start of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
Katrina Porter, Prue Watt and Sarah Rose – all representatives of the SUSC High Performance Mulitclass swim program – are part of a 35-strong swim team that will head to the UK on August 10 for the Australian Paralympic Committee’s pre-Games staging camp in Cardiff before the Games begin on 29 August, 2012.
This will be each of the girls third Paralympic Games, an incredible milestone.
“This is a fantastic achievement for all three ladies who have worked exceptionally hard to make the team,” said Sydney Uni Swim Club Coach, Vanessa Smith.
“The High Performance Mulitclass swim program is only a year old and it is great to see three of our swimmers make the Paralympics in the programs infancy.
I am extremely proud to have had the privilege to coach them and I am confident they will achieve great results in London.”
Porter (B. Commerce) and Watt (B. Science) are also Sydney University Elite Athlete Program (EAP) scholarship holders.
Having won 354 Paralympic medals in swimming – 101 gold, 133 silver and 120 bronze since it was introduced at the first Paralympic Games in Rome 1960 – swimming is one of Australia’s most successful sports at the Paralympics, second only to athletics in medals.
Porter is one of four athletes heading to London who have secured gold at a past Paralympics.
With the selection of 3 swimmers in the Australian Paralympic Games team, Sydney University’s 2012 representation at the London Paralympic Games has reached an amazing 7 athletes.
They include Katrina Porter, Prue Watt, Sarah Rose (Swimming), Sarah Stewart and Katie Hill (Basketball), Angela Ballard (Athletics) and Jennifer Blow (Goalball).
In the Australian Olympic Games team, Sydney University’s 2012 representation at the London Games is 24 athletes, taking Sydney University’s total athlete representation at the 2012 Paralympic and Olympic Games to 31, our highest ever.