This Article is From Mar 21, 2010

Rice to lead Australian team at Delhi Games

Sydney: Triple Olympic gold medallist Stephanie Rice will lead an Australian team that is a mix of the old and the new and even the forgiven at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in October.

Australia named a 48-strong squad here on Sunday after six days of selection trials.

Rice, 21, is the highest-profile member of the squad after her success at the Beijing Olympics, where she won the 200m and 400m individual medley, as well as being part of the victorious 4x200m freestyle relay team.

The glamour girl of Australian sport won three national titles during the trials, rounding out her week by winning the 400m individual medley easily on the final day of competition on Sunday.

But there are plenty of other worthy stories in the squad, with veterans Ashley Callus and comeback king Geoff Huegill both earning spots in Delhi against the odds.

Callus, 31, will compete at his fourth Commonwealth Games after winning the 50m freestyle on Sunday.

Huegill, who won individual bronze at the 2000 Olympics in the 100m butterfly, retired after the 2004 Olympics, but came back in 2007, dropping a staggering 50kg on his way to Commonwealth Games selection.

He earned his spot by winning the 50m butterfly.

At the other end of the scale, 14-year-old sensation Yolane Kukla is bound for Delhi after winning two national titles, the 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly.

Kukla also touched the wall first in the 100m freestyle, but was disqualified for a false start.

Troubled swimmer Nick D'Arcy, thrown off the Beijing Olympic team after assaulting a fellow swimmer, went close to a personal best to win the 200m butterfly title and will compete at his first major championship since the 2007 world championships.

Dual Olympic gold medallist Jessicah Schipper overcame a testing week due to illness to earn her place at the games with a win in the 200m butterfly on Sunday.

Former world record holder Eamon Sullivan finished third behind Callus in the 50m freestyle, but earlier won the 100m freestyle and is off to Delhi.
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