The 12th FINA World Championships, March 18-April 1 in Melbourne, Australia, will set the stage for this fast-paced head-to-head match-up between these two swimming powerhouses. The unique event will boast a worldwide television audience, highlighted by NBC coverage in the United States. NBC Sports will air the meet on Saturday, April 21, from 2-3 p.m. (EST), and Sunday, April 22, from 4-6 p.m. (EST).

For the first time, the Aussies will have the advantage of the home crowd. The inaugural 2003 Duel was held in Indianapolis, and in 2005 the teams faced off in Irvine, Calif.

“This is going to be a fast, dynamic event,” said Mark Schubert, USA Swimming’s national team head coach and general manager. “I think it will be great to go to a new city after the World Championships and swim in a new venue. The Olympic Pool in Sydney is known as one of the fastest pools in the world, and to swim in front of an Australian crowd should make it a very exciting event.”

Mutual of Omaha and USA Swimming launched the event in 2003 as part of the company’s sponsorship of USA Swimming. This is the fourth time in which Mutual of Omaha will support USA Swimming’s nationally televised events as the title sponsor. In addition to all three Duel in the Pool events, Mutual also sponsored the 2006 Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Championships.

“As a sponsor of USA Swimming, Mutual of Omaha is proud to once again help bring these two teams together in what promises to be a thrilling competition for bragging rights as the world’s best swim team,” said John Hildenbiddle, Mutual of Omaha Senior Vice President. “With its exciting competition and great coverage on NBC, Mutual of Omaha’s Duel in the Pool will help build awareness and enthusiasm for the sport of swimming.”

The meet will feature combined scoring of men’s and women’s events to come up with one overall winner. This year’s Duel will feature a couple of exciting changes from the two previous events, including a mixed 400m freestyle relay to begin the meet. Additionally, each head coach will have the opportunity to call a “Power Play” for one event throughout the competition, enabling the country who calls the Power Play to collect double points for that event.

Each team’s roster will be the same as its 2007 World Championships team, plus an additional three men and three women. The three American men who will compete at the Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool include: Mark Gangloff (Akron, Ohio / Auburn Aquatics), Daniel Madwed (Stamford, Conn. / North Baltimore) and Peter Marshall (Atlanta, Ga. / Stanford Swimming). The three American women added to the roster include: Caitlin Leverenz (Tucson, Ariz. / El Dorado Aquatics), Kaitlin Sandeno (Lake Forest, Calif. / Club Wolverine) and Rebecca Soni (Plainsboro, N.J. / Scarlet). Follow the link for the official Team USA roster.

The Americans have dominated the series, winning both meetings. In 2005, Team USA captured victories in 18 of the 28 events in front of the sold-out crowd of 2,600. The Americans won 190-102, but the Australians rode a wave of talent on the women's side, outscoring the American women 76-70 and setting three U.S. Open records (fastest time swum on American soil).

In 2003, the Americans overwhelmed the Aussies 196-74 and set the stage for Team USA’s dominant performance at both the 2003 World Championships and later the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

The U.S. and Australia rivalry dates back to the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, and has heated up even more in recent years. Out of 34 current long course world records, 23 are accounted for by Australians and Americans combined. The U.S. and Australia lead the world in total Olympic swimming medals.

About USA Swimming
As the National Governing Body for competitive swimming in the United States, USA Swimming formulates the rules, implements policies and procedures, conducts national championships, disseminates safety and sports medicine information and selects athletes to represent the United States in international competition. USA Swimming has more than 300,000 members nationwide and sanctions more than 7,000 events each year. For more information, visit usaswimming.org.