A second Olympic berth is within touching distance for IAS Graduate Jarrod Poort but the Wollongong open water swimmer has to wait more than three months to clear his final hurdle. Then the 21-year-old has to travel all the way to Portugal to try and secure his Australian spot in the Rio Olympics. Once there Poort just needs to beat Simon Huitenga from Perth in a one-off race in June to be picked to represent Australia at the 10km open water race in Rio de Janeiro. “If I beat Simon and place in the top nine in Portugal I’m going to Rio,” Poort said. ‘’It’s exciting. I can’t wait. “This is the final hurdle to clear to secure an Olympics berth. It is exciting and I can’t wait for the race.” Poort beat Huitenga in February and kept his Rio chances alive by finishing third, ahead of fellow Australians Rhys Mainstone (fourth) and Huitenga (eighth) at the 10km Open Water Australian Swimming Championships in Mooloolaba. Poort snared a place at the 2012 London Games after qualifying in the 1500m but is now making his mark in longer distances races. The Wests Illawarra club swimmer said he was feeling fit and ready to do whatever it took to get to Rio. See your ad here “I’m feeling good,” Poort said. “I’m in probably the second week of my 15-week preparation for the Portugal race. I think I can be at my best then. That’s the goal. “With open water, because you race in so many different locations, be it rivers and lakes, time is irrelevant. It’s purely just a race and placings. It’s probably one of the only sports where that happens.” [Jarrod Poort] Jarrod Poort Poort is leaving nothing to chance to make Rio. His training regime includes 10 sessions in the water swimming about 70 to 80 kms a week, as well as three dry-land sessions on the bike and in the gym. Part of this preparation will also involve Poort taking part in the 2km ocean race of the Splash and Dash Festival in Wollongong on March 19-20. He said the event was ideal for race preparation and confidence. “I do a lot of little ocean swims all across the state because I think you can learn lots of little things along the way….it’s also a big confidence booster if you can pick up wins here and there,” Poort said. His involvement was also motivated by a desire to grow the sport he loved. First Published in the
