NICK O'HARE'S promise to the Olympic Council of Ireland last Sunday is clearly based on undeniable fact. O'Hare told the OCI: "I have the potential to make `A' finals and assuredly `B' finals in Atlanta". Indeed, his time of 23.36 seconds for the 50 metres freestyle, achieved in Phoenix, Arizona, recently, adds considerable weight to his assertion. The time makes him the fastest Irish swimmer ever at the distance, as well as placing him among the best in the world,
In swimming, as opposed to most other sports, there is a strong inclination to accept that anything can happen in a final. O'Hare proved this when beating the US Olympic trial winner Gary Hall, in Arizona, making his claims even more valid and all the more worthy of OCI attention.
Like three of the team already chosen, he has attained `B' standard qualification. A back strain sustained while rising from his bus seat in Sheffield on Friday, frustratingly denied him an imminent confrontation with world champion Mark Foster, the convincing winner of the British trials, in the Grand Prix finals.
"I was really looking forward to competing in Sheffield. I don't want to sound arrogant, or anything, but I think I would have taken him (Foster). I was pumped up for it. Sheffield is one of the fastest pools in the world," he says. Foster went 23.9 seconds in the heats and 23.3 in the final.
What of the back injury now?
"It's not going to be a factor. It has progressed really well over the last two days. I will be able to start training again on Thursday or Friday. My plan anyway was to take a few days off after Sheffield.
"The physio says that the `twinge' came about through a combination of all the competing last week and travelling for 22 hours, from Phoenix to Los Angles and from there to London and then from London to Dublin and back to Sheffield," says O'Hare.
The consensus within the IASA is that the OCI would be seen as being "consistent across the board" in relation to the `B' standard concept by naming O'Hare for Atlanta.
If I am selected, and to be honest, I would be truly devastated if I'm not, I will return to Phoenix for training on Friday Morning," says O'Hare, who is sponsored by Yamanouchi (Ireland), based in Mulhuddart in north County Dublin.
His current time beats the seven-year-old Irish record set by Belfast's Willie Johnstone in the European championships of 1989 in Bonn.
O'Hare returned to Dublin on Sunday morning, missing out on seeing some riveting Irish swims, notably by silver medal winner and twice Irish record breaker Colin Louth, in the 200 metres butterfly (2:04.01).
Hugh O'Connor of New Ross set four Irish junior records in the 50 metres freestyle (25.03), while finishing fourth in the `B' final 50 metres backstroke 27.68 (fourth, `A' final) 200 metres backstroke 2:07.74 (heats) and 2:07.55 (sixth, `A' final). Then on Monday, O'Connor's older brother Adrian broke the senior 100 backstroke record (57.56) with Hugh clocking 58.99 in the same race.
`A' finalists Paul McCarthy and Lee Kelleher also impressed.
Meanwhile, the calendar for the open sea race season has been issued. Sunday August 18th is the date for the Blue Riband event, the Dun Laoghaire Harbour swims, sponsored by The Irish Times.
