2022 FINA World Championships Diary by Gary Francis "Gaz" - Third Entry
10 Days Done
Hi Everyone,
It's now 10 days since we arrived in Europe. With a 10 hour time difference it’s interesting to put the general, ‘1 day for each hour time difference’ theory on recovery from travel to the test. Throughout the first 9 days we have seen some really good performances in the training pool, but they have often followed a poor session, or preceded one. But as the days progressed these performances have definitely become more consistent, and as coaches edge the training closer to race preparation, and swimmers feel they are getting more rest and recovery, we are seeing happier and more confident athletes. Today, day 10 post travel, was by far the best all around day for the team.
Travel Day
Tomorrow is another travel day. We will train in the morning and eat lunch before jumping on the bus for the 2 hour journey to Budapest. The athletes will take extra fluids and snacks with them in case we are delayed by traffic holdups, and every athlete with compression clothing will wear it. Everyone will be on the bus thanks to our 100% negative covid tests from yesterday!
FINA are making every athlete and team official go through a screening checkpoint on arrival that will include both a PCR and a RAT test. The RAT will allow us entry into the FINA bubble and our hotel, and the next day we will get the more accurate results of the PCR. FFP2 masks must be worn by the whole team until the PCR tests are confirmed. We have already heard from NZ Waterpolo and NZ Artistic Swimming that they have got athletes testing positive for covid and that their entry into the FINA bubble is not guaranteed, so I want to again applaud our team for their discipline around wearing masks. But, having said that, we probably have to be even more vigilant from now on.
Happy Birthday Chelsey
Tonight was a chance to celebrate Chelsey Edward’s 21st Birthday. It’s actually tomorrow but the timing to let off a bit of steam over dinner was definitely tonight! There is a video of the team singing Happy Birthday, and we'll share that with you in the near future!
Tomorrow it’s time to really start switching on and I’m sure that for everyone the moment we step into the Duna Arena the World Championship will seem very real. There are a lot of great sporting arenas around the world. I’ve been very lucky to visit many of them over the years and the Duna is right up there as one of those magical sporting theatres. Bring it on.
Follow the Latest
Make sure you're following @swimming_nz on social media to keep to date with the latest athlete interviews, results and excitement from our Aquablacks team at the 2022 FINA World Swimming Championships.
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