Collisions with the lane ropes or even other swimmers are a possibility when the Commonwealth Games pool events begin tomorrow, with backstroke swimmers struggling to swim straight at the outdoor venue.
A volunteer carries a timing clock at the Optus Aquatic Centre ahead of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games Photo: AFP
All swimming and diving events at the Gold Coast Games are being held at the Optus Aquatic Centre, which is uncovered.
Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games chief executive Mark Peters said yesterday the reason for not building a roof was financial.
"It's open because we didn't want to spend tens of millions of dollars for six days.
"We've run championships in there... It's not an issue for the athletes."
However, New Zealand's swimmers said getting used to the outdoor venue had been a big part of their training, especially for the backstroke swimmers.
Para-swimmer Jesse Reynolds, who will compete in the S9 100m men's backstroke, said the squad "were chucked a little bit in the deep end to start with".
"When you swim indoors there's usually a big line on the roof … so you can usually follow some kind of structural cues to stay straight [whereas] outdoors you look up and it's clouds moving, or you've got the sun directly in your eyes … so you really can't gauge where you are."
Their pre-games training camp in Noosa had included outdoor sessions each day, with the scars to show for it, Reynolds said.
"I've actually got a pretty decent mark on my finger from the lane rope already. We were doing a big ... session in Noosa one of the first days we got there and I went straight in."
He also nearly swam into a neighbouring lane during a practice event at the aquatics centre in December.
"That was obviously not great for swimming but it was pretty funny for everyone watching."
Corey Main, who will swim in the men's 100m and 200m backstroke events, said the conditions were taking some getting used to.
He had trained outdoors from time to time in Florida, where he was based, but the swimmers were finding the Queensland sun extremely bright, he said.
"It's definitely mirrored goggles all the way. You can't use see-through goggles - you're just blind."
Para-swimming coach Simon Mayne said the swimmers mostly used peripheral vision to make sure they stayed in line.
"If you start wiggling left-right, left-right, then you're actually going to cover further than if you just went straight."
The Australians, who had been training in the pool, had a definite edge, Mayne said.
"They've had it for years… They've definitely got an advantage for the backstroke but I think we've really been able to get our swimmers acclimatised in the last three months.
"On the day staying straight is going to be the thing, so if one of the Aussies hits the lane ropes then they're probably not going to go as fast as a Kiwi who doesn't."
Even the Australians had had their problems.
World champion backstroker Emily Seebohm was among several backstrokers who got caught on the lane ropes during a Games test event last month.
She had since being trialling some fixes, from training at night to using blacked-out goggles, but said she was still stumped as to how best to contend with the roofless pool.
Optus Aquatic Centre Photo: AFP
