15-Yr-Old Sienna Toohey Hits 1:07.97 100 Breast At NSW Championships

2024 NEW SOUTH WALES STATE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Friday, March 15th – Sunday, March 17th
• Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre
• LCM (50m)
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• Heats Program
• Day 1 Prelims Recap/Day 1 Finals Recap
• Results (when available)
• Real-time Results –  Meet Mobile: 2024 NSW State Open Championships

Day one of the 2023 New South Wales State Open Championships unfolded in Australia with the likes of Ariarne Titmus, Emma McKeon and Kyle Chalmers diving in at the non-selection event.

However, 15-year-old Sienna Toohey stole some of the spotlight while racing in the women’s 100m breaststroke final.

Although it was Miami’s Jenna Strauch who topped the podium in 1:07.83, teen Toohey’s time of 1:07.97 broke a new barrier as she approached legend Leisel Jones‘ Aussie age group record.

Toohey established herself early, producing a morning swim of 1:08.36. That sliced .03 off her lifetime best of 1:08.39 notched just last month.

Come this evening’s final, Toohey dug deep to dip beneath the 1:08 threshold for the first time in her young career. The Albury Amateur swimmer crushed a mark of 1:07.97 to snag the silver behind Strauch en route to entering new territory.

Toohey’s outing this evening is well within striking distance of Jones’ Australian Age Record for 15-year-olds, a time which rests at the 1:07.49 the Olympian established in 2000.

Splits Comparison, Sienna Toohey‘s Progression From August 2023 – March 2024:

For perspective, Toohey’s 1:07.97 performance as a 15-year-old would rank her as the 9th-quickest American 15-16-year-old in history.

The Australian Olympic qualification standard rests at 1:06.31 which means Toohey would need to drop over a second and a half at the Olympic Trials this June.

Nevertheless, her upward trajectory is a promising beacon amidst a discipline that has been a struggle for Australia recently. Both Strauch and Chelsea Hodges bowed out of last year’s World Championships due to injuries, which left Abbey Harkin to fill the void.