2021 QUEENSLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Saturday, December 11th – Friday, December 17th
- Brisbane Aquatic Centre
- LCM (50m)
- SwimSwam Preview
- Entries
- Results
In addition to Zac Stubblety-Cook’s electric 2:07.00 200m breast performance here at these Queensland Championships, another young man set the pool on fire in an age group race.
16-year-old Flynn Southam, one of SwimSwam’s ‘Stealthy Six’ targeted as a potential disruptor in Paris 2024, hit the fastest 100m freestyle time of his career, establishing a new record in the process.
Touching the wall tonight in a time of 49.42, Southam’s effort dropped .13 from his previous PB of 49.55 from this year’s Australian Age Championships in April.
After establishing himself as the top-seeded swimmer of the morning here at Brisbane Aquatic Centre with a prelims outing of 49.84, the Bond teen Split 24.08/25.34 to clock the 49.42 and set himself up as the new Queensland Age Record holder.
His morning swim already overtook legendary Ian Thorpe‘s Queensland All Comers record for 16-year-olds, which was a time of 49.98 from 1999. Then Southam’s 49.42 took it a step further and overtook the overall Queensland Age Record which stood at 49.70 from Cameron McEvoy in 2011.
The All Comers Age Record represents the fastest time every on Queensland soil while the overall Queensland Age Record represents the fastest time put up by a Queenslander anywhere in the world.
Flynn’s performance here tonight keeps him as the 2nd fastest Australian 16-year-old ever in the 100 free, sitting only behind Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers who owns a time of 48.69 from that age.
For additional perspective, Southam would also rank as the 3rd fastest American 15-16-year-old man in history, resting behind leader Caeleb Dressel (49.28) and Destin Lasco (49.40) from when they were the same age.
Two seconds off an Olympic medal, 2.51 off a world record, with 2.5 years until Paris! Should be fun to follow him.