Noosa Aquatic Centre (NAC) high performance swimmer Nicholas Sloman has qualified for his first Olympic Games in the 10km Open Water Swimming event.
Nick has been training at the NAC under the watchful eye and direction of legendary NAC Swim Squad coaching director John Rodgers (JR) for more than 11 years.
NAC coordinator Tim Wilson said Noosa Aquatic Centre was thrilled to be a part of Nick Sloman’s international swimming career, and proud of Nick’s development from a junior squad swimmer, to representing Australia.
“Nick absolutely epitomises the ethos of the Olympic Games, he has trained hard, set goals, stayed patient, and performed when it mattered most, to achieve his Olympic dream,” he said.
NAC Squad Coach and recently appointed Olympic Team Coach for Open Water events Kareena Clark will be on hand to support Sloman during the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Kareena is well accustomed to the pressures of the Olympic Games, given her bronze medal performance in the same 10K Open Water event at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Kareena is also Nick’s long-term teammate and she’s enjoyed witnessing her training prodigy follow in her footsteps and develop into an international swimming representative.
Following her retirement Kareena has been working under JR as a key member of Nick’s coaching team.
Mr Wilson said everyone at the NAC was thrilled to watch Kareena’s swimming journey and transition into coaching.
“And now she has the incredible opportunity to become an Olympic Swim Coach,” he said.
“We are also extremely happy for Alexa Leary in gaining Paralympic selection in the 50 and 100 metre freestyle S9 and 10 classification.
“We watched her efforts in the rehabilitation stage at the NAC following her tragic injury – what an inspiration she is!”
In the lead up to the Games, Nick will be a part of a national staging camp in France, before heading into the Olympic Village for final preparations.
Nick Sloman will realise his Olympic dream when he enters the Parisian waters in the early morning hours of Friday 9 August, 2024.
