Rio De Janeiro – With the possibility of reaching a final on the first day of the Olympic Games looming large, Sebastien Rousseau, Myles Brown and Michael Meyer do not feel the added pressure of getting into the pool first.
Rousseau and Meyer will be the first to dip their toes in the water in the 400m individual medley heats, where they will be hoping to qualify for the evening’s final.
Making his debut at the Olympics, Brown is looking for a repeat of his 2013 Barcelona World Championships, where he finished in sixth place.
“I am trying to keep it light and free at the moment without any expectations, just coming out here and have some fun,” Brown said. “I don’t think anybody is expecting much, so I'll do my best and hopefully get a personal best.
“I feel like I'm in really good form, so I'll try to get to the final. That is goal No 1.”
Brown will also be competing in the 200m freestyle with training partner Chad le Clos, and the 4x200m relay team.
He also seems to be the frontrunner to swim the crucial freestyle leg in the medley relay team that could stand a chance of winning a medal.
Meanwhile, Rousseau will be turning out in his third Olympic Games, swimming the 400m individual medley and 4x200m freestyle.
“When I swim the first day I'm always ready to go and I'm also competing on day three and four,” Rousseau said.
“It will get the ball rolling and I’ve been pretty good in training, so hopefully I can race harder and get it done.”
Rousseau won bronze in both the 400 IM and the 200m butterfly at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
He has appeared at two Olympics, making his debut as a 17-year-old in Beijing in 2008, while also featuring at the world championships in 2009 and 2011.
Meanwhile, Michael Phelps is fired up and ready to go for what promises to be an explosive first weekend of the swimming programme.
The American could feature in tomorrow’s 4x100 freestyle relay final and should collect the 23rd Olympic medal of his record-breaking career if he does.
The US men have not failed to finish in the top three since the event was introduced in 1964, but champions France and resurgent Australia will be tough opponents.
The women’s 4x100 is today’s late night highlight, with US golden girl Katie Ledecky tipped to swim in the preliminary heats to qualify for a medal in an event world champions Australia are favourites to win.
“The first two nights of the relays, with the women on the first night and men on the second, will probably (provide) a lot of fireworks in the swimming pool,” said Phelps.
“I’m looking forward to either watching or being in that race. Those races are… super-fast and there are always some crazy splits that take place.”
Water and pyrotechnics usually result in a damp squib but Phelps is right to be excited. The sprint relays offer memorable nights of high drama.
Now 31 and in his fifth Games, the most medalled Olympian of all-time (18 golds) has played his part in many such moments but may have to dig deeper this time.
“I think this sport has changed to where there’s not really one or two powerhouses,” said Phelps. “You could probably pick three or four teams that are going to have a chance to win that (men’s) relay.
“The Australians have made a significant charge over the last couple of years - there are a lot of young guys who have stepped up and bring more excitement to the sport.”
Russia took the bronze in 2012 but two of that quartet - Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev - will be absent due to the doping scandal that has overshadowed the run-up to Rio. - Reuters