BURNETT SET TO BANISH DEMONS AS HE FACES WORLD
British Freestyle swimmer Simon Burnett is ready to put
the personal disappointments of last year behind him and feels
he's in the shape of his life to do just that as he looks
to the World Championships in Melbourne later this month.
The Wycombe swimmer, now based at University of Arizona,
failed to live up to his very own high expectations at last
year's Commonwealth Games and European Championships due to
a back complaint he feels kept him from achieving his true
potential.
Burnett was certainly not short of medals but it was the
form he failed to show that disappointed as he is used to
setting exacting standards for himself.
Two individual golds and a silver at the Commonwealths in
Melbourne left Burnett with a tinge of regret but just two
relay medals at the European Championships in Budapest delivered
a real sense of personal failure.
However, the 23-year-old has taken a great deal from his
experiences in 2006, he's overcome the back complaint that
held him back and has grown stronger mentally and physically
as a result.
"I was disappointed at the European Championships and
to a degree at the Commonwealth Games," said Burnett.
"In hindsight though, I now know it was necessary for
me to highlight the obvious weaknesses in my mental approach
to training.
"I went into 2006 thinking I was in good shape but soon
realised I had a few problems with my fitness brought about
by a back condition that I needed to get sorted.
"Since then I've focused a lot on my stroke technique
and I've also been working out in the States with British
Swimming physio Pat Dunleavy to try to work out my physical
problems."
Burnett's complaint stopped him from training fully and this,
therefore, left him wanting when it came to the major competitive
meets as he was unable to draw down on that foundation of
fitness.
"I had issues with my lower back which kept locking
up," explained Burnett. "It transferred into the
shoulder and the hip, and the result was that I couldn't kick
properly. This held me back in training and obviously affected
my race.
"We worked hard to put it right and now everything is
working well and I've been able to train properly which I
hope will come through when we get to Melbourne.
"It's allowed me to focus in training on improvements
instead of simply getting though a session.
"I'm much happier and relaxed now I've resolved the
issue with my back and have been able to prepare without problems."
Burnett's problems not only left a physical mark on his performances
but also an impression on his mental approach to the sport
as he feels he has something to prove to the people around
him within the Biritish squad currently training on the Gold
Coast in Australia.
"My lack of performances in Budapest provided me with
a new-found drive," said Burnett. "Simply put, I
don't want to fail again at a major meet. I don't want to
feel like I've let the team down. We have a very good relay
squad and I don't want to feel like I've personally failed
them again. It was a very low point for me but one that I've
gained strength from.
"Today, I think I'm in the best shape of my life coming
into the World Championships and it gives me a lot of confidence.
Burnett is aiming to compete in the 50m 100m and 200m Freestyle
events and hopes to be part of Britain's relays which are
a big contributing factor to Britain having a successful World
Championships this year.
In addition to his back issue, Burnett has also put a great
deal of effort into improving his stroke and in Melbourne
hopes to test this properly for the first time.
"I've changed my stroke slightly and I'll be interested
to see how it works. It worked well for me a few weeks ago
at a meet in Missouri. The time was okay but more importantly
for me the strategy worked. It was about how I swam the race
and how I split the 200m Freestyle," said Burnett.
"I'm really looking forward to competing in the 100m
and 200m Freestyle and I see the 50m Freestyle as a bonus.
To be honest I've not swam the short sprint in really good
shape for 18months so who knows how that one will go.
"Depending on how I swim the 50m and how I feel, I may
decide to scratch the event to benefit the 4x200m Freestyle
relay as both finals feature in the same session."
Despite Burnett's confidence, generated by a solid base of
strength and aerobic training this season, he feels these
World Championships are going to be the fastest in history
and expects medals to be an even more precious commodity than
usual.
"This World Championships is going to be faster in almost
every event. The entire sport is moving on rapidly at the
moment and I really feel we're going to see that in Melbourne,"
said Burnett.
"None of my events are going to be easy, they all feature
class fields and will be very tough to break into but that's
what we're all here to do.
"I'd like to think I have a chance of a medal in the
longer events and who knows in the 50m event. But the 100m
is absolutely stacked with talent with the likes of van Hoogenband,
Magnini a number of South Africans, Australians and Americans.
"Just to make the final, I think you're going to have
to go 48 seconds which has been unheard of before. Even at
the Olympics it was 49 seconds to book a final place.
"In the 200m Freestyle I think swimmers will have to
be going 1:47 low to make a final and with the Americans,
Australians, Italians and British guys it's going to be tough."
These bold predications are an indicator of how far Burnett
believes the sport has moved in the past 18 months. But he's
convinced that's what the world will witness from Melbourne
this month.
"The whole sport has moved on so much in the last year,"
said Burnett. "They're all going to be tough events and
I'm certain we're going to be witnessing the fastest World
Championships in history."
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