Grant Forbes realistic on medal hopes

Press, 25 July 1986, Page 20

Grant Forbes realistic on medal hopes

From ■ KEVIN TUTTY in Edinburgh

An individual medal for the Christchurch breaststroke swimmer, Grant Forbes, looks a forlorn hope at Edinburgh, but he is determined to improve his personal best time to help three team-mates to a medal in the medley relay. Forbes will strike formidable opposition in the individual breaststroke events, including a world record older, Victor Davis, of Canada, and Adrian Moorhouse, of England, a former world record holder. But in the medley relay his team-mates, Gary Burring (freestyle). Anthony Mosse (butterfly) and Paul Kingsman (backstroke) will be relying on Forbes to improve his best time of Imin 5.8 s to about Imin 4.0 s to give the four a chance of beating England for the bronze medal. Canada and Australia have such strength that it is unlikely they will be pushed out of the first two placings. Forbes does not regard an individual medal as entirely out of his reach, but he is realistic about the strong competitors he has to overcome. On the list of seedings for the 100 m breaststroke he is thirteenth, but that he believes is an unjustified position.

He was seeded in the same position at Brisbane four years ago and finished sixth in the final. He wants to match that swim at Edinburgh today.

His best time for the 100 m breaststroke was set four years ago at Brisbane. *T am four years older and stronger

now, and have more experience so I should be able to improve on that time.”

“We were talking about Gary Hun-Ing’s swim in the 200 m backstroke final at Edmonton eight years ago last night He improved four seconds in the final to win the gold, so there is no reason why it can’t be done again.” “If I can take two seconds off my best time I will be rapt I want to do something worthwhile at these Games because I don’t know how long I will carry on swimming.”

In the last week of training Forbes has been concentrating on improving his stroke. “I have had a little trouble with my co-ordination so have been working hard to improve it In spite of that I have still been doing my best split times in training.” Forbes is the type of swimmer who thrives on the big occasion and he admits it At a warm-up meeting in West Germany he did not perform well because the meeting was held in a cold outdoor pool, with little atmosphere. He expects the atmosphere to be entirely different in Edinburgh. He is classing the 100 m breaststroke as his main event, but his coach, Hilton Brown, believes Forbes is capable of a good time in the 200 m as well. His best for that distance is 2min 23.05, and Brown feels he is ready to swim three seconds better than that

Forbes’ training is now complete. He will spend the next two days getting himself in. the right frame of mind for his races. Yesterday afternoon he was going to wander up the craggy hills surrounding Edinburgh to plan his race tactics.