2024 AUSTRALIAN SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Thursday, September 26th – Sunday, September 29th
- SA Aquatic & Leisure Centre
- SCM (25m)
- Meet Central
- SwimSwam Preview
- Swimming Australia SC Worlds Qualification Procedures
- Start List
- Day 1 Recap
- Live Results
Day 2 of the 2024 Australian Short Course Championships was another sizzling session of speed for both the men and women.
Although newly-minted 100m back World Record holder Kaylee McKeown wound up scratching the 200m back, World Championsips medalist Iona Anderson put on a good show to grab the gold.
18-year-old Anderson ripped a winning time of 2:01.80, beating the field by well over 2 seconds.
Anderson split 13.33/14.58/15.11/15.58/16.01/15.66/16.11/15.42 en route to hacking nearly 5 seconds off of the 2:06.37 put up last year.
Bella Grant was next to the wall in 2:04.12 followed by Poppy Stephen who rounded out the top 3 finishers in 2:07.54.
Both Anderson and Grant dipped under the Swimming Australia-mandated qualification time of 2:05.54 needed for December’s Short Course World Championships, although individual Olympic medalists get priority.
Additionally, Anderson now ranks as the 6th-swiftest Aussie in history.David Mariuz
The men’s 200m back saw Joshua Edwards-Smith rock the sole sub-1:50 outing of the field.
21-year-old Edwards-Smith touched in 1:49.14, scorching the 1:52.98 posted just last month at the Queensland State SC Championships.
Enoch Robb snagged silver tonight in a result of 1:50.77 while Stuart Swinburn clinched bronze in 1:51.83.
19-year-old Robb of All Saints hacked well over half a second off his previous PB to join Edwards-Smith in qualifying for the Short Course World Championships.
Additionally, Edwards-Smith’s effort now ranks the Griffith University swimmer as the #3 Aussie SC 200 backstroker in history. Robb is right behind in 4th on the list.
Top 5 Australian Men’s SCM 200 Backstroke Performers All-Time
- Mitch Larkin – 1:45.63, 2015
- Ash Delaney – 1:49.62, 2009
- Joshua Edwards-Smith – 1:49.14, 2024
- Enoch Robb – 1:50.77, 2024
- Travis Mahoney – 1:51.01, 2019
A new Australian national record was established in the men’s 50m breast, courtesy of 27-year-old Grayson Bell.
Bell scorched a time of 26.11 as a new lifetime best this morning in the heats before dropping it down to 26.02 for gold this evening.
James McKechnie was tonight’s runner-up in 26.42 and Nash Wilkes also landed on the podium in 26.52 as the bronze medalist. Last night’s 100m breaststroke winner and national record setter Joshua Yong fell just .02 shy of the podium in 26.54.
Milla Jansen, just 17 years of age, was tonight’s national champion in the women’s 100m freestyle.
The Bond ace registered a winning time of 52.31 to turn in a new Australian Age Record.
Splitting 11.95/13.36/13.49/13.51, Jansen overtook Olympic champion Emma McKeon‘s former age record of 52.41 put on the books in 2011. Jansen’s result also dipped under the 53.32 Swimming Australia-mandated QT for Budapest.
Joining Jansen in qualification was Alexandria Perkins who touched in 52.85. Last night’s 200m free winner, Lani Pallister, bagged the bronze in 52.91, another new lifetime best.
The men’s 100m free saw 19-year-old Edward Somerville make his presence known in a follow-up to his 200m free scorcher from night 1.
Sommerville of Brisbane Grammar roared to the wall in an effort of 46.84, well inside his previous career-quickest of 47.75 from this past July.
Jamie Jack was also impressive with a sub-47-second result of 46.91 and Harrison Turner was just over the threshold in 47.08 for 3rd place.
Additional contestants included Maximillian Giuliani (47.33 for 4th), Marcus Da Silva (47.40 for 5th) and Matt Temple (47.41 for 6th).
As a refresher, these championships serve as a qualifying opportunity for this year’s Short Course World Championships.
After 10 swimmers are potentially selected from earning individual medals at the Paris Olympics, the first and second-ranked swimmers at these national championships in Olympic events may be selected for the team.
Additional Winners
- Mia O’Leary punched a time of 30.09 to claim the women’s 50m breast victory. 15-year-old Sienna Toohey touched next in 30.40 and Sienna Harben, yesterday’s surprise 100m breast silver medalist, earned bronze in 30.47.
- The women’s 400m IM saw Melbourne Vicentre’s Tara Kinder wrap up the win in 4:29.78, a Budapest-worthy result. She notched the sole time under 4:31, with Cruiz swimmer Kayla Hardy securing silver in 4:31.77 to also add her name to the consideration list for SC Worlds. Bronze medalist in this event at the 2023 World Championships, Jenna Forrester posted 4:37.94 for bronze.
- 25-year-old Davic Schlicht was the top performer in the men’s 400m IM, turning in a time of 4:03.55 as the 3rd-quickest time of his career. Schlicht owns a PB of 4:01.44 from the 2022 edition of this competition. Along with Schlicht, 18-year-old Karl Albertyn of Miami dipped under the QT needed for Budapest, hitting 4:07.90 as the silver medalist this evening. Gabriel Gorgas produced 4:07.97, good enough for bronze.
Australians Pre-Qualified for 2024 Short Course World Championships
- Meg Harris
- Mollie O’Callaghan
- Ariarne Titmus
- Kaylee McKeown
- Cam McEvoy
- Kyle Chalmers
- Elijah Winnington
- Zac Stubblety-Cook
Australians Hitting QTs at Short Course National Championships
- Lani Pallister – women’s 200m free (1:53.81)
- Leah Neale – women’s 200m free (1:53.60)
- Ed Sommerville – men’s 200m free (1:40.64), 100m free (46.84)
- Maximillian Giuliani – men’s 200m free (1:41.39)
- Tara Kinder – women’s 100m breast (1:05.23), 400m IM (4:29.78)
- Sienna Harben – women’s 100m breast (1:05.28)
- Isaac Cooper – men’s 100m back (50.17)
- Tia Kritzinger – women’s 1500m free (15:52.90)
- Moesha Johnson – women’s 1500m free (15:59.36)
- Iona Anderson – women’s 200m back (2:01.80)
- Bella Grant – women’s 200m back (2:04.12)
- Joshua Edwards-Smith – men’s 200m back (1:49.14)
- Enoch Robb – men’s 200m back (1:50.77)
- Milla Jansen – women’s 100m free (52.31)
- Alexandria Perkins – women’s 100m free (52.85)
- Jamie Jack – men’s 100m free (46.91)
- Kayla Hardy – women’s 400m IM (4:31.77)
- David Schlicht – men’s 400m IM (4:03.55)
- Karl Albertyn – men’s 400m IM (4:07.90
Congrats Milla Jansen. Looks like she will likely be the next teenager to break through into the senior 4×100 Free squad.
I notice Mia O’Leary has moved on from Bond since Olympic Trials and is now listed as swimming for Griffith Uni.
From the Olympic Pre-Qualifiers only Meg Harris, Kaylee McKeown, Kyle Chalmers, Elijah Winnington & Zac Stubblety-Cook have accepted to go. The others are staying home
So it’s confirmed that McEvoy isn’t going?
So have hit the 24 already and with two days to go. Will have to leave some behind
Australian women are only good at freestyle lol besides Kaylee and Ocallagan
But we are the best in the world at it Freestyle.
Another crock of… wisdom…
Kaylee McKeown won the same number of non-freestyle gold medals in Paris as the entire US women’s team combined.
EDIT: Actually make that the entire US team period.
United States of Backstroke won no gold medals in backstroke at the last two Olympics 🧐
Going back only three years to the Tokyo Games, Emma McKeon won the bronze medal in the 100m butterfly, Emily Seebohm won the bronze in the 200 backstroke, and the Australian women won the gold in the 4×100 medley relay.