IT will be the 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships showdown with Port Macquarie's James Magnussen to take on swimming great Michael Phelps in the 100m men's freestyle final on Friday night.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Magnussen is not phased by Phelps' powerhouse presence in the pool saying he had plenty left in the tank after his heat swim on Friday morning. The focus of his finals challenge on Friday night will be delivering a swim under 48 seconds.
Magnussen qualified second fastest in Friday morning's heat in 48.25 seconds behind Nathan Adrian (48.05s) with Phelps third in 48.45s and Cameron McEvoy fourth in 48.49s.
The Missile will fire in the finals of the 4x100 metre freestyle relay on Saturday. If he is to contest the 50 metre event both the heats and finals will be held on Sunday.
The Pan Pacs is an opportunity Magnussen says, to be inspired by some of the best.
"I am someone who really likes to have targets to chase and big events and opportunities to look forward to," he told the Port News.
"Rio in 2016 and the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018 are certainly big long term targets but I do have a lot of things in the sport of swimming I would like to achieve leading up to those events.
"The challenge of racing the best swimmers in the world keeps me focused and motivated every day.
"I really feel like I have learnt so much over the course of my swimming career and at only 23 years of age feel like I am still learning every day.
"One of the key learnings from my work with my coach Brant Best and my mind coach John Novak is that I am at my best personally and swimming wise when I am relaxed and I can stay relaxed and happy right up until I get onto the racing blocks.
"That is who I am as a persona naturally but I think in the past I found it more difficult to separate the aggression, power and if you like intimidation sprint freestyling requires and my natural personality day to day which is laid back and relaxed.
"It is really about having a bit of an ‘on off’ switch and I really feel I have much better control over this balance at this point in my career which is a real positive."
ONE HD will telecast the finals of the 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships from 7pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.
Friday, FINALS 7pm, live telecast:
- 100m breastroke W/M
- 100m freestyle W/M
- 400m individual medley W/M
- 4x200m freestyle relay W/M
Saturday, 10am (heats):
- 100m butterfly W/M
- 400m freestyle W/M
- 200m backstroke W/M
Saturday, FINALS 7pm, live telecast:
- 1500m freestyle W
- 100m butterfly W/M
- 400m freestyle W/M
- 200m backstroke W/M
- 4x100m freestyle relay W/M
Sunday, 10am (heats):
- 800m freestyle M
- 200m individual medley W/M
- 50m freestyle W/M
- 200m breaststroke W/M
- 1500m freestyle W
Sunday, FINALS 7pm, live telecast:
- 800m freestyle M
- 200m individual medley W/M
- 50m freestyle W/M
- 200m breaststroke W/M
- 1500m freestyle W
- 4x100m medley relay W/M
