Article courtesy of SWIMAUS
IT may not have been the selection meet for the 2025 World Championships to be held in Singapore later this year but the Australian Open Championships at Brisbane Aquatic Centre still delivered several eye-popping performances.
With most athletes still in heavy training or only on a two-day drop taper, there were several PBs and world-leading performances from senior Dolphins including Cam McEvoy, Kaylee McKeown, Tim Hodge and Alexa Leary.
Tonight also saw St Peters Western claim the Club Point Score with 1751 points with Griffith University second (961) and Bond (829) third. In all, Dean Boxall’s St Peters won 16 gold, 12 silver and 9 bronze for 37 medals.
Griffith won 7 gold, 4 silver and 4 bronze (Total 15) and Bond with 4 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze (Total 10).
On the final night of competition:
MOLLIE O’CALLAGHAN – WOMEN’S 200M FREESTYLE
Mollie O’Callaghan (pictured) – admitting she had been swimming on one leg – won the 200m free in 1:55.71 from lane one after a pep talk from coach Boxall. Lani Paillister took silver (1:57.06) and Brittany Castelluzzo bronze (1:57.31).
“We do the sport because we want to win, and I’m going to push myself to the max, even if it hurts. That’s the whole point of it,” O’Callaghan said.
“There’s always opportunities to add backstroke to my Olympic program. It’s ultimately what aligns with my freestyle programme. When it comes to Trials, I always leave it open to whatever I make, and then Dean and I talk about it before I decide. I don’t really train backstroke. It’s one of those things I do as a little bit of a release and fun.
“But in general, there’s always an opportunity if my individual freestyle and the relays align, I’m more than happy to accommodate for backstroke and make sure I train properly to be fit enough to hold myself throughout it.
“Kaylee (McKeown) and I have spoken about 50m stroke events being added to the Olympic program multiple times and have a similar view. A part of me is happy about it because it gives so many form strokers another opportunity. For freestyle, I’m very thankful that I have the opportunity to Trial in the 50m, 100m, 200m and so on, as well as the relays. Medley swimmers only have two relays and two individuals.
“So it opens up that space to have that longevity in the sport, and supports the older guys, but also makes room for people to be more versatile and switch around if they want to. The only thing that I don’t like is that the program gets longer.
“Absolutely there’s a chance I’ll do the 50m backstroke. I’ll give it a crack and it’s whoever makes it at the end of the day. It’s four years away, so I’ll keep training and I’ll keep doing it, but it depends on the day.”
JAMIE JACK – MEN’S 100M FREESTYLE
With defending title holder Kyle Chalmers in Europe, Italian gold medallist Thomas Ceccon hit the wall first in the men’s 100m free (48.41), followed by Jamie Jack (48.63) and Flynn Southam (49.05) with William Yang fourth (49.07).
Following in his older sister’s strokes, Jack is shaping up as a bolter for the Dolphins senior team.
Jack said: “We’ve been putting a recipe together for success, and let’s say we’re halfway through. So to show some good results like that right now is really promising when we know there are some things that I haven’t even trained for yet.”
The 22-year-old also won silver behind Cam McEvoy, 30, in the 50m freestyle.
MOESHA JOHNSON – WOMEN’S 1500M FREESTYLE
Olympic open water silver medallist Moesha Johnson led from start to finish to claim the 1500m – her first pool national title – in 16:02.59 with Tiana Kritzinger the next best Australian (16:24.84) and Jacqueline Davison-McGovern the third Australian to touch the wall (16:35.92).
In a snap shot to the week that inspired:
LA STORY: Bring on the 50s
The addition of the 50 breast, back and fly to the LA28 swimming program has ignited a sprint revolution within the swimming community. Current 50m breaststroke world champion Sam Williamson is the champion cheerleader in this space and after winning the 100m on night one added the 50m (27.10) title tonight. Add Kaylee McKeown in the 50m free and The Professor Cam McEvoy, who is experiencing a renaissance in the fly, and the Dolphins are potentially looking at three more cheeky medals in 2028.
Australian record holder Williamson, 27, will have an eye on “youngsters” Josh Collett (21yrs, 27.83) and Olympian Josh Yong (23yrs, 28.19). Also watching on with interest will be Gold Coast High performance head coach Mel Marshall who coached the G.O.A.T of breaststroke Adam Peaty to the WR of 25.95.
Grayson Bell, who finished second behind Williamson with 27.59 will also be inspired with the extension of the 50m program.
PEERLESS
The world’s premier backstroker Kaylee McKeown only knows one speed – flat out.
Of her Dolphin peers no one has produced such consistent fast times over the past four years.
McKeown pulled out of tonight’s 200m backstroke after claiming the 50m and 100m double. In her absence, Hannah Fredericks (2:10.73) claimed gold with New Zealand’s Georgina McCarthy second (2:13.13) and Layla Day (2:15.28) third.
On Tuesday, McKeown reeled off fastest time in the world to defend her 100m backstroke, 57.65, after the backstroke queen had earlier claimed victory in the 50m 27.22.
CONQUERING
It’s double or nothing for Ben Hance who is on a world-first mission to win four consecutive Paralympic titles. In Paris, Hance made history as the first to win back-to-back gold in the men’s 100m backstroke (S14) and this week at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre – after his clean sweep in the MC backstroke events – sent a clear warning to rivals that he’ll do “some serious damage” to get the four-peat across LA and Brisbane 2032.
LIMITLESS
While most use Nationals as in-season training to ready themselves before Trials, Alexa Leary knows no such thing of just swimming for the sake of it.
“Every day I challenge myself, especially in swimming,” Leary said.
Leary’s world record in the women’s 100m freestyle MC heats (59.22) surprised herself but not others due to her infectious positive and will-do attitude and she went so very close to breaking it again in the final to win the national title (59.32).
Tonight, the S9 swimmer added another national title to the pool room – the women’s 50m freestyle multi-class clocking (27.66).
“My biggest takeaway from this meet is just challenging myself. I was really in it to win it for my own self, to make the times and make myself feel good about what I’ve done. So that was the biggest thing about being here at this comp. And I know I always have my eyes on other athletes, but honestly, it was just mainly for myself with this one,” Leary said.
“I do love a good chase. If I see someone ahead of me I will do nothing but chase them.
“As I was told three and a half years ago, I would never walk or talk or even be here. I know that I had to chase to get my life back on track, to be living and walking and talking again, and that was the biggest thing for me to chase and achieve.
“Now I’m chasing Singapore (World Championships) for sure. I’ve got my eyes on the prize, and I’m quite excited.”
BEST OF RIVALS
Tara Kinder and Ella Ramsay as the pair dominated the women’s breaststroke and IM field.
Competing together since they were teens, the IM specialists are pushing each other to be better for themselves and for Australia. For Kinder, 21, it was her first time on the national podium, and she went straight to the top with two golds and two silvers. The Melbourne Vicentre swimmer posted world-class PB’s in three out of five of her events.
Griffith’s Ramsay, 20, also won her first national title. Her haul of two golds (200 IM, 100 BR), two silvers (400 IM, 200 BR) and a bronze (200 BK) was well deserved. Ramsay competed all the way until the last day of competition – and on her ‘day off’ – she was thrown into the women’s 200 freestyle and closed her meet with a 200m backstroke bronze.
INSPIRING
Lining up behind block six in heat three of the men’s multi-class 200m freestyle was a story of resilience, passion and pure joy of swimming. After slight blunder, 71-year-old Mick Schuddinh found himself competing at the Australian Open Championships – not the Masters Swimming Nationals. Not one to shy away from the water or competition, Schuddinh, who is legally blind with just 10 percent of vision left in his right eye, embraced the opportunity to dive in – just like he did when he was school swimming captain in South Africa. He finished third in his heat – well ahead of some rivals 40 years his junior.
