Olympics-US still favourites to rule the pool, says elite Australian coach

By Ian Ransom

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australian swimming is on the rise but the United States should still be rated as favourites to top the medal table once again at the Paris pool, said Michael Bohl, one of the world's top coaches.

Powered by Bohl-prepared swimmers, Australia won a national record nine swimming titles at the Tokyo Games three years ago, finishing second to the United States, who won 11 golds.

Having topped the swimming medals table ahead of the U.S. at last year's World Championships in Fukuoka, Australia's "Dolphins" will hope to deny the U.S. top spot at the Olympics for the first time since Seoul in 1988.

Australian great Ian Thorpe hailed the Paris-bound Dolphins as the country's best ever team at Olympic trials in Brisbane, but Bohl is wary of making such big statements and will not underestimate a U.S. squad laden with champions and world record holders.

"Obviously, the U.S. have been the number one swimming nation for the last 20 or 30 years. No one's even come close," the 61-year-old Queenslander told Reuters from the Dolphins' training camp in the south of France.

"Australia had a very good World Championships last year -- the American team wasn't at full strength. We had most of our top-liners there.

"We're certainly on the rise. (But) I think they'd have to be favourites to retake that title as number one.

"What Rohan (Taylor), our national head coach, says is we're trying to get as many medals as we can. The thing with meets like the Olympics is to not get ahead of yourself."

Australia have finished second to the U.S. swimmers at five of the six last Olympics, and fans from both nations have savoured some thrilling individual rivalries.

Ariarne Titmus's defeat of American champion Katie Ledecky in the 400 metres freestyle final was a highlight of Tokyo and the pair are set to duel again for the title.

The women's 100 backstroke could be another huge battle in the U.S-Australia rivalry, and Bohl is at the heart of that as coach of Kaylee McKeown.

The Olympic champion will defend her title against American Regan Smith, the former world champion who snatched the world record from the Australian at Olympic trials in Indianapolis last month.

The strength of Australian swimming, most notably in the women's events, has excited fans and media at home while ruffling some feathers in the United States.

U.S. broadcaster NBC fanned the flames last month by dredging up a year-old breakfast TV interview with Cate Campbell in which the recently-retired Australian swimmer called the Americans "sore losers" after Fukuoka.

NBC showed the interview to Michael Phelps, who urged the American swim team to watch it everyday for that "little extra bit of oomph".

McKeown called out Campbell for her comments last year, saying they did not represent the Australian team's view.

Bohl, a close observer of the nations' rivalry over 20 years, said swimmers and coaches could ill-afford to get caught up in distractions before a major event.

"There's always a little bit of, I won't say tension, but a little bit of a rivalry -- probably a better word -- between the U.S. and Australia," he said.

"We've got a lot of people in very good positions and what they've got to do is convert. That's probably the most difficult thing -- being able to convert under pressure."

(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)