Rio Olympics: Claremont a hotbed of synchronised swimming

FOUR of the nine women in the Australian synchronised swimming squad heading to Rio come from Claremont Pool-based club West Coast Splash.

Danielle Kettlewell, Amie Thompson, Rose Stackpole and Debbie Tsai had been training with the West Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS) at the HBF stadium in the lead up to the Olympic Games.

Head coach Briana Preiss has been working with the girls for the last year and a half and believes the squad will do well in Rio, despite only training together for a short time.

“The girls have a well rounded performance, but they’re still a growing team,” she said.

“At the Spanish open, (the girls) showed significant improvement.”

The routine at Rio will be based on Australiana, complete with emus, crocodiles and lizards.

The four girls are currently training at the Australian Institute of fitness in Canberra, before they depart for Rio on August 1.