Courtney Weigand Qualifies For 10K Open Water Olympic Trials



Courtney Weigand (17), the Fifth Place finisher in the National 25K Open Water swim held earlier this year in May, has now qualified for the 10K Open Water World Qualifier swim, and Courtney will be traveling to Fort Meyers Florida to compete again on October 20, 2007 with the hope she will be on the Olympic team swimming the 10K for the USA. She traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana to swim the Open Water Grand Prix 10K yesterday, bit she is used to traveling to compete in her events.

Today Courtney was back to work as a swimming and surfing instructor and lifeguard at Aqua Pros Swim School in San Diego. Her employer, Tammy Anderson, traveled with Courtney and her mother to the event and stood in as her coach. They were elated at the results.

"I have swum in open water swims all over the world," says Courtney, "and I have been open water swimming since I was six-years- old, but I never dreamed it would ever be an Olympic event and I never thought I would have the opportunity to swim in an Olympic trials."

Courtney swims for North Coast Aquatics in La Jolla for coach Jeff Pease as a part of his national team, and will be swimming for USD beginning in September. She hopes to qualify for the Olympic 800 long course meter freestyle pool.event before the pool trials take place next year. She will be studying Marine Biology at USD.

Courtney's godmother, Jill Lapp, is Courtney's long time open water coach and says Courtney has worked hard for this opportunity..

"It is a dream come true for all of us," says Lapp, "and Courtney deserves to be right where she is."

"I just can't believe I qualified for this," says Courtney, "because I have wanted to be on the USA open water team since I was seven years old. I have always known this is what I have wanted to do. A lot of pool swimmers with Olympic trial pool times swam this event, and I was really surprised I qualified. I was swimming this race with Kate Ziegler, and she just broke the 20 year world record in the 1500 LC meter freestyle!"

"Courtney really wants this," adds Lapp, "and I can see it happening for her. I can see her making it to the Olympics. All she has to do is believe in herself."





Courtney Weigand Qualifies For 10K Open Water Olympic Trials