Rotto record beckons quartet
If there were doubts about the Rottnest Channel Swim attracting world-class swimmers, this team answers them.
Liliana Guiscardo, Mark Franks, Anthony McDonald and Roberto Salas are one of the top-rated quartets in this year's 150+ mixed category.
They have represented Argentina, Great Britain, Australia and Venezuela in the pool and on Saturday join forces in the ocean.
Guiscardo, 32, the youngest in the Sweet Lips team, swam for Argentina at the Beijing Olympics. She is in Perth on a working visa and met Franks and McDonald while training.
"When I moved here, I heard about the Rottnest swim and saw all the hype around it," she said.
"I've heard so many amazing things about it and I've heard it's an incredible day out."
Despite her modest open-water experience, Guiscardo is confident her team can challenge the category record of 4:41:25.
Franks, 40, was born in Germany and tried out for Great Britain's Olympic swim squad, while Salas, 41, is a decorated open-water and pool swimmer from Venezuela.
McDonald, the Australian member of the quartet and a 1986 Commonwealth Games swimmer, has done six Rottnest swims over 20 years. The 48-year-old said the event would continue to attract interest abroad.
