Aussie Backstroker Bradley Woodward Chases Olympic Dream With 18 Races In 16 Days In Tokyo, Brisbane And Sydney…Next Stop Doha

Aussie Backstroker Bradley Woodward Chases Olympic Dream With 18 Races In 16 Days In Tokyo, Brisbane And Sydney…Next Stop Doha

Australian Olympic backstroke hopeful Bradley Woodward is certainly leaving no stone unturned as he chases his Olympic dream in Paris next year.

The latest four laps in that chase unfolded at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre tonight when he clocked his third Olympic qualifier in 16 days winning his NSW Senior Age championship.

CHASING PARIS DREAM: Bradley Woodward launches his Olympic Trials campaign in fine style. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).

It was a timely celebration of Woodward’s selection on the Australian Dolphins Team yesterday for his third World Aquatics Championships in Doha in February – when that chase for a place on the Paris 2024 team really hots up.

The 25-year-old who competes for Mingara Aquatic on the NSW Central Coast, an hour -and-a-half north of Sydney, but trains at the Sydney 2000 Olympic pool under long-time coach Adam Kable has had 18 races in 16 days – including heats and finals.

And one of the Dolphins unsung heroes, has chalked up eight wins and one second from nine finals – a schedule that started with the Japan Open in Tokyo on December 1 and finished with the 200m backstroke in Sydney tonight.

In between Woodward and coach Kable stopped off at the highly competitive Hancock Prospecting Queensland Championships before heading home to Sydney for the NSW Senior Age.

Here is a look at Bradley Woodward’s whistle stop tour to Japan, Brisbane and Sydney:

Japan Open, Tokyo (December 1-3)

 1^st 50m backstroke 25.13

1^st 100m backstroke 53.72

***1^st 200m backstroke 1:55.56 (OLY Qualifier):PB (3^rd Fastest All-Time Australian) A time that would have seen him fourth in this year’s World Aquatics final – just 0.22 away from bronze.

Queensland Championships, Brisbane (December 10-13)

2^nd 50m backstroke 25.32 (behind Tokyo Olympian Isaac Cooper)

*1^st 100m backstroke 53.60 – just 0.22 outside his PB

1^st 200m backstroke 1:56.33 (OLY Qualifier)

NSW Senior Age Championships, Sydney (December 14-16)

*1^st 50m backstroke 25.04

1^st 100m backstroke 53.87

1^st 200m backstroke 1:56.85 (OLY Qualifier)

*Best Times On Tour

** Best Time

He has already tasted individual success at the 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games – winning silver at both Games in the 200m backstroke and silver and bronze respectively in the 100m backstroke.

Doha will be Woodward’s third World Aquatics Championship, having been part of the Dolphins teams in 2019 in Gwangju and 2023 in Fukuoka where he won bronze in the 4x100m medley relay with Zac Stubblety-Cook, Matt Temple and Kyle Chalmers – saving his best till last when he produced his PB of 53.38 to put the Dolphins in the medal hunt.

You get the feeling Bradley Woodward’s chase for Paris will net him a few more PBs along the way in a campaign to fulfill his Olympic dream.

The Australian Olympic Trials will be swum at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre from June 13-15, 2024.