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Australian Dolphins | 17 March 2023

Dolphins tropical training block ahead of Australian Championships

A pod of Australian Dolphins have headed offshore this week as preparations begin to ramp up on the path to this year’s World Aquatics Championships in Japan in July.

Just a month out from the Australian Championships on the Gold Coast, members of Michael Bohl’s Griffith University squad and Michael Palfrey’s University of the Sunshine Coast training group have touched down in New Caledonia for a fortnight long training camp.

The travelling group includes Olympic Gold medallists Emma McKeon, Kaylee McKeown and Mack Horton alongside their Dolphins teammates Lani Pallister, Brendon Smith, Zac Incerti, Cody Simpson, Alex Perkins, Josh Edwards-Smith, Bowen Gough, Mikayla Smith and Emilie Muir.

Bohl said it was a valuable experience to take the athletes out of their day to day routine in the context of preparing for a benchmark international event.

We are fortunate to have such a wonderful destination for a camp less than three hours out of Brisbane,” Bohl said.

It’s a great facility, great environment and both of which should contribute to some great training across the two weeks we are here.”

The Oceania Championships were hosted here in the early 2000’s so from a personal perspective it’s also nice to revisit New Caledonia having been lucky enough to be a member of that team.

Bohl also believes the cultural experience will be valuable for the group on the path to Paris.

To also have the opportunity to be immersed in a French speaking country for an extended window will only benefit these athletes coming into Paris in 2024.”

The group will train across two facilities, the Ouen Toro and CNC pools, and combine their work in the pool with a series of local engagements, experiences and opportunities to share their knowledge with emerging New Caledonian athletes.

It is the third overseas training camp involving Dolphins in recent months following Dean Boxall’s St Peters Western squad’s trip to Thailand, and Vince Raleigh’s Chandler training group training at altitude in Flagstaff, Arizona.