Bobbi Gichard looking for top pace at Oceania Championships

Rising swim star Bobbi Gichard is no stranger to swimming on an international stage but is looking forward to next week’s Mayfair Pools Oceania Championships as a chance for more international racing experience.

At the 10^th Mayfair Pools Oceania Championships being held in Auckland next week the World Junior Championship swimmer is competing in the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke as well as the 50m butterfly.

The 14 year old swimmer saying she will be targeting times close to those she swum at the New Zealand Open Championships in April.

Gichard was in impressive form at the New Zealand Open Championships where she qualified for the Oceania team as well as the Pan Pacific Championships.

“I was really happy to have qualified for Pan Pacs in the 100m backstroke and it's great to have Gaby (Gabrielle Fa’amausili) pushing me,” the young swimmer said of her Opens performance.

“It was good to win the 200m backstroke as well; I was really trying to get a good time in that event.”

Adding to her success at Opens, the Greendale club swimmer had some outstanding performances at the recent New Zealand Age Group Championships (NAGs) in Wellington where she qualified for the Youth Olympic Games team to compete in August this year.

“At NAGs it was great to qualify for the Youth Olympic Games in the 100m and 200m backstroke, but because everyone thinks I am just a backstroker, I was particularly happy with my 100m butterfly result. I was ranked third, but I won and did a three second personal best.”

In the lead up to the Youth Olympic Games, Gichard has a strong focus on keeping up the hard work and motivation as she looks to bring her times down further and make the final in all her events at the meet.

“There is not a huge amount of time until the Youth Olympic Games and I have got a trip to Australia for the Grand Prix in between so to get international racing at Oceania's and at the Grand Prix will be good.

“After that it will be working on my programme and hopefully gaining more strength and going faster,” she said.