2023 AUSTRALIAN AGE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- April 7-15, 2023
- Gold Coast Aquatic Centre, Southport, AUS
- LCM (50 meters)
- Championship Central
- Day 1+2 Recap/Day 3 Recap/Day 4 Recap/Day 5+6 Recap/Day 7 Recap
- Live Results
- Live Stream
A big new national age record went down on the final night of competition at the 2023 Australian Age Championships.
Competing in the boys’ 18-year-old 100m butterfly on the Gold Coast, Jesse Coleman of Bond busted out the swim of his life. En route to gold, Coleman stopped the clock at a quick time of 52.04.
Opening in 24.32 and closing in 27.72, Chris Mooney-coached Coleman shaved .05 off of the previous Aussie Age Record of 52.09 Olympian Jayden Hadler put on the books 11 years ago.
Entering this meet, Coleman’s lifetime best rested at the 52.23 he notched at the 2022 Junior Pan Pacific Championships. That garnered the Aussie the silver medal there in Hawaii behind American Thomas Heilman.
Freestyle ace Flynn Southam was also back in the pool tonight after his 1:46.24 200m free scorcher from yesterday.
The 17-year-old clinched his age category’s 100m freestyle victory in a time of 48.91 (23.63/25.28), registering the only time of the field to get under the 50-second barrier.
Southam’s performance wrapped up a trifecta of freestyle wins, adding the 100m to his aforementioned 200m free and 50m free (22.40) individual victories at this competition.
16-year-old Olivia Wunsch of Carlile also wrapped up a successful week, coming within striking distance of the national age record in the girls’ 100m free.
Wunsch fired off a time of 54.05 to fall just .13 shy of Olympian Mollie O’Callaghan‘s record of 53.92.
Mikayla Pattison-coached Wunsch opened in 26.15 and closed in 27.90 to crush her own previous personal best of 54.50 earned at the 2022 Junior Pan Pacific Championships. Her 100m free victory is added to her previous golds already won here in the 50m free, 50m fly, 100m fly and 200m IM events.
Of note, Wunsch also split a head-turning 24.22 in the mixed 4x50m medley relay for 16-17-year-olds.
In terms of the overall team finish, St. Peters Western (QLD) took home the team trophy, followed by Nunawading (VIC) and SOPAC (NSW).
TOP SIX CLUBS:Â
- St Peters Western (QLD 3680
- Nunawading (VIC) 1750
- SOPAC (NSW) 1410
- Warringah (NSW) 1381
- Knox Pymble (NSW) 1322
- MLC Aquatic (VIC) 1312
Additional Notes
- Luke Higgs clocked a time of 8:26.53 to reap gold in the boys’ 14-15 800m free. That marked the teen’s 6th gold on the meet.
- Luke’s brother Samuel Higgs hit a time of 4:25.41 to take the boys’ 16-year-old 400m IM by over 6 seconds. This win doubled up with his 200m IM victory earlier in the competition.
- The girls’ 14-year-old 200m fly saw Ava Gaske of Chandler get it done for gold, collecting her 5th top prize in a time of 2:19.44.
- Nunawading’s 17-year-old Isabella Boyd captured her 3rd individual victory of the meet, taking her age group’s 100m fly in 59.18, the only sub-minute result of the pack.
Who are the top 5 male and female performers of these championships?
Wunsch and Southam are #1, the rest of the respective top 5’s are a toss up.
This is true. I would put Coleman, Barclay, Sheridan, Pope, McPherson and McAlpine as pretty clearly near the top as well.
Love it we badly need a 100 fly swimmer of note
Matt Temple goes 🤔…..
He was well off his best in LCM last year (but his 100 fly split in Melbourne was delicious). It certainly wouldn’t hurt to get another 50 point flier.
Yes agree more is better and young JC looking the goods for the near future. Just need to keep him focused for a few more years (easier said than done at 18 though).
The original JC may have been able to walk on water but this young JC can really fly through water.
Thomas heilman is quicker and younger than jesse
Ohhhh tasty swim JC, congrats and so deserving.