For swimmers there is the constant presence of the black line. Up and down following the black line. Not so for backstrokers.
They can gaze at the sun, the moon and the stars. Or the ever-decreasing circles of a velodrome in Berlin where luckily no backstroker – using the roof as a guide – went around and around at last year’s European Championships.
It is a graceful stroke. Long, smooth and languid. Other than the 50m sprint, there is little splash but instead an apparent gentle glide – deceptive, though, given the power and pace that is generated.
Emily Seebohm is one of the sky gazers. She became Australian champion over 100m aged just 14 in 2006 and went on to finish fourth in the World Championships the following year as well as being part of the winning 4x100m medley relay.
Now 22 and an Olympic and world silver medallist, Emily trains under the warmth and glare of the Brisbane sun.
She says: “I train outdoors so with me being a backstroker I don’t have the black line, I get to look into the sky.”
Why backstroke? “When I started swimming I didn’t have a favourite stroke, I did everything.
“It wasn’t until I got older that I started liking backstroke more because I could breathe all the time.
“I am always working on my…
