Among Australia’s 20-strong line-up named for the 2018 FINA Short Course World Championships in Hangzhou, China is 26-year-old Emily Seebohm, the never-say-die swimmer who has been on the Dolphins National Team since she was 14 years of age.
At the Aussie Short Course Championships last week, Seebohm collected an impressive 5 individual titles, including the 50m/100m/200m backstroke races, as well as the 100m/200m IM events. With her dominant performances in Melbourne, Seebohm now has 31 Australian short course national titles under her belt, more than any other Australian swimmer in history.
Seebohm has been a mainstay on the FINA World Cup circuit in recent years, which has increased her short course racing frequency among her peers and sharpened her skills in that format. She holds her nation’s standards in the SCM 50m/100m/200m backstroke, as well as the 200m IM.
The Brisbane Grammar athlete had a mixed bag of performances at the 2016 edition of the Short Course World Championships, finishing off the podium in 4th in the 100m back and also ettled for 4th in the 200m IM. But she came back for bronze in the 200m back distance and earned silver in the 100m IM to bring hardware home to Australia.
Seebohm revealed in early 2017 that she had been suffering from endometriosis, a condition for which she underwent surgery in February of last year. She said at the time that she had been experiencing significant pain and simply ‘wasn’t herself’ and the disease impacted her performances throughout 2016.
She’s so easy to root for, and tough as nails. She’ll have one hell of an autobiography one day.