Wedding Cake tempts Taylor-Smith back into the swim

Andrew Webster November 25, 2007 IT'S a walk around the block by her usual standards, and she might be long retired, but ocean swimming legend Shelley Taylor-Smith knows her competitive instincts will take over when she competes in the Express Glass Island Challenge at Coogee today. The 2.4-kilometre swim around Wedding Cake Island is regarded as one of the premier events on the summer calendar and one of the few the 46-year-old has competed in since her retirement eight years ago. "I'll finish easily, but I'm not sure where I'll finish," she laughed. "But when I get in the water that eye of the tiger will kick in. Let's see what happens." Taylor-Smith has won marathon events all over the world, and broke the world record in 1995 for swimming the 48km distance in five hours, 45 minutes and 25 seconds. She is now pushing to enhance the profile of ocean swimming, especially with open-water swimming included in the program at the Beijing Olympics next year. "Events like this one at Coogee certainly help change attitudes about the sport," she said. "We are ranked No. 4 in the world, behind Russia, Germany and Italy. It deserves higher recognition." More than 1000 competitors are expected to enter the event, now in its seventh year, at Coogee Beach this morning. Among them will be former ironman champions Dean Mercer and his wife Reen Corbett, who will fly from Queensland's Sunshine Coast to join local girl Candice Falzon as the headline acts in what organisers say will be the strongest field ever assembled. Falzon, from nearby Maroubra, won the women's event last year. She finished a most creditable 14th in the gruelling Coolangatta Gold last month and is again expected to excel at Coogee. The main event begins at 10.30am, and is preceded by a 1km "Splash and Dash", which starts at 9.15.