Nervous Nocher is chasing ticket to Beijing

Other Sports

Thursday, May 01, 2008

Not since Andrew Bree went head to head with Michael Williamson six years ago has there been such anticipation before an Irish championships.

Now it's Belfast's Melanie Nocher against Dubliner Aisling Cooney for backstroke glory and they hope a ticket to the Olympics.

The two queens of the pool will clash over the four-day championships which start tomorrow in the National Aquatic Centre.

Cooney has been closing the gap and snatched the 100m back record from Nocher at the recent Dave McCullagh meet but the Belfast woman is playing down the rivalry, saying it is all about her being focused on taking a two second chunk off her PB for the 200m back to seal the trip to Beijing.

"I'm quite nervous because I know I have the capability of qualifying for Beijing though I'm trying very hard not to put too much pressure on myself because I know that I will still have a great chance at making London 2012 and that has always been the primary aim," said Nocher.

"If I don't make it then it will just make me even more determined to do it in four years time.

"As for Aisling coming up beside me now, it doesn't bother me you can't just have one top swimmer in Ireland. I won't allow it to psyche me out. It just makes me work harder.

"I'm happy for her€ people are trying to build it up into a big rivalry but Aisling and I are friends. I'm just focused on what I have to do because I'm the one in my lane, she's not and I'm the one doing the training every day getting ready for what I have to do.

"The 200m back is probably the best hope but I'm quietly confident about the 100m as well. I have improved my turns. When I saw how I was turning I could see that I was looking at the wall as I was turning but now I am rotating in one movement and it's knocking 0.6 off each turn which can make a huge difference."