Swimming Australia will wind up what has been an exciting 2004 with the traditional Qantas Skins, the Telstra FINA World Cup and a night of glitz and glamour with the Telstra Australian Swimmer of the Year Awards at the end of November.

Fresh from their successes at the Athens Olympic Games and the FINA World Short Course Championships, the majority of the Australian Olympic team will be joined by a host of internationals for the end of year activities.

The Skins (Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre, November 21) has become somewhat of an institution on the Swimming Australian calendar and on the overseas calendar as well with several Athens Olympic stars heading to Sydney and then on to Melbourne (Telstra FINA World Cup, November 26,27,28).

Once the racing is done the stars of the pool will swap their Speedos for tuxedoes at the Swimmer of the Year Awards (Grand Hyatt, November 29).

Head-lining this year’s array of international stars will be triple Olympic backstroke gold medallist from the USA, Aaron Peirsol and his Athens 4x100m medley relay gold medallist, American record holder for 100m freestyle, Jason Lezak.

Perisol was one of the stars of the Games, winning gold in the 100 and 200m backstroke and as a member of the world record breaking US 4x100m medley relay team.

He backed up his triple treat in Athens with three more gold medals at the FINA World Short Course Championships in Indianapolis – breaking his own world record in the 200m backstroke.

Lezak, who set the new American record of 48.89 at the US Olympic Trials but “had a shocker and failed to make the semi-finals in Athens” bounced back to anchor the US men to their final night gold medal and world record in the 4x100m medley relay at the Olympics.

With Peirsol leading off, Lezak again joined Athens team mates Ian Crocker and Brendan Hansen to spearhead the US to another world record in the 4x100m medley relay in Indianapolis.

Peirsol’s record in backstroke swimming is quite imposing and reads:

“Won three gold medals at the 2004 Olympic Games, sweeping the backstroke events….world record holder in the 200m backstroke long course and short course and the 4x100m medley relay;.....world record holder 100m backstroke short course;…..winner three gold medals at the World Short Course in 2004…. and three gold and one silver at the 2003 World Championships….. named the 2003 NCAA Swimmer of the Year…. broke the meet record in the 100m backstroke and the world record in the 200m backstroke at the US Olympic Trials.”

Peirsol will take on Australia’s own Matt Welsh and a host of emerging Aussie stars in the Skins elimination backstroke event as swimmers vie for over $100,000 in prizemoney.

His clashes with Welsh, who finished with silver medals to Peirsol in Indianapolis, is shaping up to be the major highlight of the men’s program.

“I have heard so much about the Skins meet that I can’t wait to get down to Australia and race Matt and the boys and hopefully take in some of your summer sun and surf,” Peirsol said.

“It has been an exciting 2004 with the Athens experience and I can’t think of a better place to finish off the year than Australia.”

Lezak will line up in the 50m freestyle sprint elimination series against a field of young Australians, including Athens 4x100m freestyle relay debutant Eamon Sullivan.

At the time of going to press there was every chance that Sydney Olympic 2000 gold medallist Ed Moses and World Champion 50 metre backstroker Randall Ball as well as five-time World Short Course 200m butterfly gold medallist James Hickman (Great Britain) would joint the list of stars.

Australia’s line up of stars will centre around the golden girls of Athens with Jodie Henry, Alice Mills, Libby Lenton, Leisel Jones and Brooke Hanson leading the way.

Henry, Mills and Lenton who together with the now retired Petria Thomas set a world record in the 4x100m freestyle relay in Athens, will line up against Olympic 50m finalist Michelle Engelsman in the Skins 50m freestyle elimination.

Olympic breaststroke gold and silver medallists Jones and Hanson will continue their duels in the pool alongside Sydney Olympian Tarnee White and newcomers – world short course record holder Jade Edmistone and World Short Course bronze medallist Sarah Katsoulis.

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