London bound

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Tags: olympics, sport, winter-2012

Bianca Hammett will compete in the 2012 London Olympics

UQ Bachelor of Applied Science student Bianca Hammett is one of the mermaids of the Australian Olympic team.

Ms Hammett is one of 12 known students and alumni to have qualified for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.

She is a champion synchronised swimmer, having made her first splash in the sport as a nine-year-old.

Studying externally through the Gatton campus, Ms Hammett balances university commitments with more than 30 hours of training each week with the Gold Coast Mermaids club. She has deferred her studies this year to focus on being in the best possible shape for the Games.

“Synchronised swimming is a very complex sport and it has a lot of different aspects to it. You need strength, flexibility, coordination, balance, endurance – a bit of everything,” she said.

Ms Hammett narrowly missed out on selection for Beijing four years ago and will compete in the team discipline in London, in addition to being a reserve for the duet event.

She said typical training sessions lasted four hours and incorporated several kilometres of swimming and running, in addition to perfecting technical movements and artistic figures, and practising acrobatic tricks and throws.

Following a record seventh place in Beijing, the Aussies have a special weapon this time around – a secret soundtrack that features an iconic local rock band.

“It’s all quite spectacular to watch, but the lifts are definitely the highlight. Things can always go wrong but that’s why we train so hard,” she said.

The dominant Russian team are favourites to win their fourth Olympic title in a row, with many countries, including Australia, led by Russian coaches.

Ms Hammett said synchronised swimming was a physically demanding sport which often wasn’t given the respect it deserved.

“It’s high-intensity work and it’s always changing and people are always challenging themselves. It still is an elegant sport, but it’s extremely difficult and we have to make it look easy,” she said.

The Australian synchronised swimming team will compete at the Spanish Open in June as a final rehearsal for the Olympics which begin on July 27.

Fellow UQ athletes heading to London include Paralympic swimming world record holder Brenden Hall, and medal favourite in the long jump Mitchell Watt.

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