Coral Bentley was a member of the first Australian team to make the world championships final in synchronised swimming’s free combination routine event last month.By Marc McGowan
NARRE Warren synchronised swimming sensation Coral Bentley is floating on water after helping Australia reach the world championships final in the free combination routine for the first time last month.
Bentley, 22, took up the sport in 1996 after long stints in calisthenics and swimming, and is now a regular fixture in the national squad.
“I guess I started because of the fact it was more interesting than going up and down the pool,” she said.
“Also, I was not fast enough to be any good at it!”
Bentley joined nine other Australians as they snuck into the 12-team final and she was overjoyed to be able to do so in front of her home crowd.
“It was surreal and it was different because with it being in our home country, most people there were supporting you,” she said.
“We’ve had bigger crowds before, but we’ve never had so many people cheering for us.”
With Australia a relative minnow in the sport, and with the likes of Russia, Spain and Japan enjoying vastly superior training facilities, the magnitude of the achievement has gone largely unnoticed.
“The sport has no awareness in Australia and people don’t understand it. In the European countries, everyone loves it and they have funding behind them,” Bentley said.
“Unfortunately, funding (in Australia) goes on how many you have participating in the sport and also on medals, but without getting any money we can’t get the results.”
It means the university graduate is forced to rely heavily on family and friends for support, but she often finds only her boyfriend Nick Byron, who is an elite diver, relates to her predicament.
“I think if I didn’t have him to understand how tired I am all the time and not being able to go out, it would make it much harder,” Bentley said.
“We discuss the pressures of our sports and I feel like a lot of the time that he’s the only person I can tell that will understand.”
Despite the world championships having just been held, she will take to the water this month to qualify for the Australian team for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games before attempting to earn her country a place in the Olympics a few months later.
“We have Olympic trials – as in Australia against the world – in July in Switzerland and we’ll keep the same routine till then before starting a new one for the Olympics,” Bentley said.
She admitted that reaching the Olympics was not at the forefront of her mind as a child, but the desire to be an Olympian had grown in recent years.
“As a little kid I never said, ‘I want to go to the Olympics’ or anything like that, but as it’s gotten closer it’s becoming more realistic,” Bentley said.
“I guess I just have to maintain my swimming and hopefully have my spot in the team and spend as much time as possible training.”
Bentley’s pursuit would certainly be easier if she were able to gain some support from local businesses.
She said she incorporated work that would normally be done in a gym into her pool training as she didn’t have any money for a gym membership.
“I’ve sent letters out asking for access to a gym somewhere around this area to help with that because I just can’t afford to pay for it,” the athlete said.
If anyone is interested in helping Bentley out, they can contact the News on 5945 0666.
