Tasmania on course for double-figure representation at Paris Olympics

On the back of key results for runners Jacob Despard and Stewart McSweyn and positive squad news in hockey and basketball, Anneka Reardon is hoping to double the number of Tasmanian rowers queuing up for a seat on the plane to Paris.

On Tuesday night (Tastime), Reardon and her NSW crewmate Georgia Miansarow were hoping to earn Australia a berth in the women's lightweight sculls in a cut-throat final at what is popularly known as 'the Regatta of Death' in Switzerland.

Reardon and Miansarow vindicated Rowing Australia's decision to enter them in the Final Olympic Qualifying Regatta at Lucerne by winning their repechage to book a place in the A-final.

They require a top-two finish to qualify their boat for the Olympics.

"We recognise the pressure," said Reardon, 26, who took up the sport at the age of 14 and was coached by her dad, Mick, at Lindisfarne Rowing Club.

"But in a way, because it's been so difficult to get to this position it feels like obviously there's something to lose, but it's also like there's nothing to lose because we're just so lucky to actually be here."

Reardon and Miansarow led from the start to win their repechage in 7:09.77.

They beat Switzerland (7:09.98), as well as reigning Olympic champions Italy (7:10.93) and Spain (7:20.23), who still all made the A-Final with other heat winners, France and Greece.

Initially not selected for the regatta, Reardon and Miansarow earned a place with an impressive fourth at World Cup I in Varese, Italy, in April.

"We wanted to drive our rhythm a bit better and really push through in that second [500m] so we are in a better position going into the back half of the race," Reardon said of their latest win.

"We were in a good position in that last 750m, sitting quite comfortable; but I saw out of the corner of my eye the Swiss double make a move to try to come through.

"So, we had to pop it up a couple of points to make sure we hung on to that first place."

A multiple state champion and junior oarswomen of the year in 2015, Reardon was part of a Tasmanian lightweight women's quad which won three national titles.

Australia has already qualified for nine of the 14 boat classes to be contested in Paris, including the women's coxless four featuring Huon's multiple world champion Sarah Hawe. The 36-year-old joint 2017 Tasmanian athlete of the year is hoping to reach her second Olympic Games having contested the women's eight in Tokyo.

Australia's athletics team for Paris is also looking good for multiple Tasmanian representation after McSweyn recorded an Olympic 5000-metre qualifying time at the weekend.

The King Islander, who turns 29 next week, smashed the prized 13-minute barrier in running 12:56.07 at the USATF LA Grand Prix.

McSweyn's timely performance came just a couple of weeks after Hobart sprinter Jacob Despard was in the Aussie 4x100-metre men's relay team which secured Olympic qualification on the final night of action at the World Athletics Relay Championships in The Bahamas.

On Monday, Hobart's Maddison Brooks, 19, was named in a Hockeyroos squad travelling to Europe for the penultimate test before the Olympics.

The team will play in an FIH Pro League series in Antwerp and London with games against Belgium, Argentina, Great Britain and Germany.

Hobartians Eddie Ockenden, Josh Beltz and Jack Welch are in the Kookaburras squad at the same series.

Meanwhile, on Thursday Basketball Australia announced a revised 17-player Boomers squad for a pre-Olympic training camp featuring Launceston-born Tokyo bronze medallist Chris Goulding, 35.

Queensland-based free-styler Ariarne Titmus is expected to make the swimming team and defend her two Olympic titles while fellow Launcestonians Georgia Baker and Josh Duffy lead the charge of Tasmanians in contention to make the cycling team.