5 Australians to watch at the world championships

Ahead of the world swimming championships in Kazan, Russia, from August 2-9, here are five Australian names to look out for:

CATE CAMPBELL (AUS) - The world’s fastest swimmer is preparing to become the first woman in 40 years to defend a 100-metres freestyle world title. Malawi-born Campbell, 23, pressed at home by her younger sister Bronte, is looking to claim back-to-back 100m freestyle crowns in an event which has only ever been done by Kornelia Ender in 1973 and 1975 during the East German doping regime. Campbell booked her ticket to Russia with an equal best time (52.69 sec) in the world this year, just six months after she underwent shoulder surgery. Her time would have won 2012 London Olympic gold, claimed by Ranomi Kromowidjojo of the Netherlands in 53.00. "I still have goals I want to achieve," she said ahead of the world championships. "I still want to be the best in the world. I wanted to be that in 2012 as well and that didn’t happen." She once again held off her sibling Bronte to claim her third straight national 100m title at the world trials. Cate remains unbeaten in the 100m stretching back to late 2012. Bronte, 21, has been pushing her big sister all the way and gave her scares at last year's Glasgow Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacs on Australia's Gold Coast.

GRANT HACKETT (AUS) - The comeback story of international swimming as the 35-year-old distance great will become the oldest swimmer to gain selection in the national team at Kazan. With 24 Olympic and world championships medals, 13 of them gold, Hackett ranks among the greatest swimmers of all time. Hackett gain selection in the 200m freestyle relay team and comes after a seven-year absence and just six months of training. He is considered the greatest distance swimmer of all time with consecutive gold medals at the Sydney and Athens Olympics and silver in Beijing in 2008 and has held the world record over every freestyle distance from 200m to 1500m. He is also credited as the last man to win Olympic gold in an individual swimming event for Australia with his victory in Athens in the 1500m. Together with Ian Thorpe they are the only Australian men to win individual Olympic gold at the last four Olympics. Hackett has subsequently committed himself to go after a place in the Australian team for next year's Rio Olympics after becoming convinced he could again handle the rigours of training.

CAMERON McEVOY (AUS) - In the absence of reigning world champions in the 100m and 200m freestyle, McEvoy is looking to achieve greatness in his own right. Team-mate James Magnussen will not be in Kazan to defend his world crown because of shoulder surgery and neither will French world 200m champion Yannick Agnel (pleurisy) so the opportunity is there for McEvoy. The 21-year-old aspiring astrophysicist McEvoy finished fourth behind Magnussen at the last world titles in Barcelona and was placed second to him at last year’s Glasgow Commonwealth Games, but he has beaten Magnussen in three of their last four meetings -- including his first international title at the Pan Pacific championships on the Gold Coast last August -- and has a personal best time of 47.65 seconds. "Statistically, it does create the opportunity for me to break through, but it helps everyone else in the competition too," McEvoy said. "It’s an exciting thing to know that a world championship is up for grabs."

EMMA McKEON (AUS) - The rising freestyler has the pedigree to succeed in swimming. Her father Ron competed for Australia at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics, her mother Susie (nee Woodhouse) was a member of the Australian team at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, while her brother, David is one of Australia's best in the 200m and 400m freestyle. The 21-year-old had an outstanding Commonwealth Games campaign in Glasgow last year, taking home five medals - three gold and two bronze and she is in one of the most competitive events at the world championships, the 200m freestyle, where she could be up against Missy Franklin, Federica Pellegrini, the top two at 2013 world titles, Femke Heemskerk, Sarah Sjostrom and Katie Ledecky. McKeon heads to Kazan with the fourth-best time of 1:55.88. She recently switched coaches to join Michael Bohl's squad, a decision she said she made to keep her fresh as she searches for further improvement.

And a young talent to watch out for:

MACK HORTON (AUS) - 'Mack the Knife' became only the seventh man to crack 14:45 in the 1500m freestyle at the national trials with his 14:44.09 to hold down the second-fastest time in the world this year behind Italy's Gregorio Paltrinieri. The 19-year-old is looking to continue the aristocratic line of Australia's distance swimming greats Kieren Perkins and Grant Hackett. The man Horton must beat in Russia, Paltrinieri, has spent time in Melbourne at the start of the year training alongside Horton and his coach Craig Jackson. Horton must find a way to erase the five-second gap between their personal bests.
Source: AFP