2016 HANCOCK PROSPECTING AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS (AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC TRIALS)
- Thursday April 7th-Thursday April 14th
- SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre – Adelaide
- Prelims – 11 am local (9:30 pm EDT previous evening); Finals – 7:45 pm local (6:15 am EDT)
- Australian Olympic Qualifying Criteria
- Psych Sheets
- Program of Events
- Live stream
- Live results
Women’s 100 Back Multi-Class – Prelims
2012 Paralympic champ Ellie Cole won the women’s 100 back to open the night. Cole, competing in the S9 classification, was 1:11.34 to barely touch out Katherine Downie (1:11.49).
For Cole, that’s still about three seconds off her world record in the event.
Men’s 100 Back Multi-Class – Prelims
Another 2012 Paralympian won the men’s event – 28-year-old Michael Anderson. Anderson was 1:01.28 to win the event by more than 9 seconds. Anderson competes in the S10 classification.
Women’s 100 Back – Prelims
Emily Seebohm has been all but unbeatable in the 100 back over the past year, but she might face some of her stiffest competition worldwide at these Australian Championships. She wound up just third in the preliminaries behind two young talents.
Madison Wilson, 21, is the top qualifier at 59.54, which is still well off her 58.75 seed time that earned her silver behind Seebohm at Worlds last summer. Then it’s 15-year-old Minna Atherton, the junior world record-holder, who went 59.97 for second. Atherton is just about six tenths off her junior world record for the moment.
Seebohm finished third in 1:00.09, though she’s expected to be 58 or faster when the final rolls around after consistently hitting 58s on last year’s World Cup tour.
Top 8 qualifiers:
- Wilson – 59.54
- Atherton – 59.97
- Seebohm – 1:00.09
- Whittaker – 1:00.30
- Hocking – 1:00.31
- Coleman – 1:01.18
- T-7 Forrester – 1:01.60
- T-7 McKeown – 1:01.60
Men’s 200 Free – Prelims
It was a fairly relaxed morning in the men’s 200 free, with a whole crowd of men sneaking just under 1:50 to earn spots in the semifinals.
David McKeon is the top seed at 1:47.66, with Kurt Herzog the only other swimmer in the 1:47s (Herzog was 1:47.82).
World champs finalist Cameron McEvoy qualified back in 7th with a 1:48.39, though he really shut things down over the final 50, going from a 27.4 split (second best third split of the top 8) to a 28.30 (slowest closing split of the top 8).
In another positive step in his comeback, 35-year-old Grant Hackett safely qualified for the semis with a 1:48.33 that placed him 5th.
Also in are the returning members of the bronze medal 4×200 free relay from Worlds last summer: McKeon, McEvoy, Daniel Smith (1:48.19 for 4th) and Thomas Fraser-Holmes (1:48.41 for 8th).
A day after crushing the best 400 free of 2016, 19-year-old Mack Horton is also in the semis after going 1:48.54 for 9th.
Top 8:
- McKeon – 1:47.66
- Herzog – 1:47.82
- Merrilees – 1:48.18
- Smith – 1:48.19
- Hackett – 1:48.33
- Hansford – 1:48.35
- McEvoy – 1:48.39
- Fraser-Holmes – 1:48.41
Women’s 100 Breast – Prelims
Sweden’s Jennie Johansson, part of the foreign contingent competing here in Adelaide, won prelims of the women’s 100 breast, popping a 1:06.63 that ranks her just inside the world’s top 10 for the season:
2015-2016 LCM Women 100 BREAST
KING
1.04.93*OR
| 2 | Yulia EFIMOVA | RUS | 1.05.50 | 08/08 |
| 3 | Katie MEILI | USA | 1.05.69 | 08/08 |
| 4 | Ruta MEILUTYTE | LTU | 1.05.82 | 03/11 |
| 5 | Alia ATKINSON | JAM | 1.05.93 | 11/06 |
| 6 | Georgia BOHL | AUS | 1.06.12 | 04/09 |
| 7 | Molly HANNIS | USA | 1.06.16 | 03/04 |
| 8 | Jinglin SHI | CHN | 1.06.29 | 04/03 |
| 9 | Sarah HASSE | USA | 1.06.31 | 06/03 |
| 10 | Siobhan-Marie O'CONNOR | GBR | 1.06.34 | 07/01 |
The 27-year-old Johansson will be challenged in semis by 18-year-old Aussie Georgia Bohl, who was 1:06.73. Bohl was a tenth off her season-best, which now sits tied with Johansson at #9 worldwide.
30-year-old Sally Hunter, the veteran of the field, was third a ways back in 1:08.21. Also in the 1:08s this morning: Taylor McKeown, Lorna Tonks and Leiston Pickett.
McKeown and Tonks were Australia’s entrants into the World Championships last summer. Both made the semis, but missed the cut for the medal final. Bohl’s swim is a key one for Australia, as she outperformed the times of both Worlds entrants from last year.
Getting a breaststroker near the 1:05 range could be huge for Australia’s medley relay – they finished in the bronze medal position last summer at Worlds, but were outsplit by almost two seconds by both the gold (China) and silver (Sweden) medal teams on breaststroke.
Top 8:
- Johansson – 1:06.63
- Bohl – 1:06.73
- Hunter – 1:08.21
- Mckeown – 1:08.35
- Tonks – 1:08.37
- Pickett – 1:08.96
- Hansen – 1:09.02
- Strauch – 1:09.27
Men’s 100 Back – Prelims
Reigning world champ Mitch Larkin rolled away with the top seed in the men’s 100 back, going 53.39. That’s well off his season-best, but that’s mostly because his season-best was a near-world-record effort from the World Cup last November.
Larkin is the top seed by more than a second, with Joshua Beaver (54.40) and Ashley Delaney (54.43) in tow.
Beaver and Benjamin Treffers are both ranked inside the world’s top 25 for the season, and both will move on to the semis. Treffers is 7th in 55.38.
At 27 years old, Bobby Hurley is the veteran of the field, sitting 4th in 54.51. He’s tied with Zac Incerti for that spot.
Women’s 400 Free – Prelims
27-year-old Bronte Barrat nabbed the top qualifying spot from national record-holder Jessica Ashwood in the morning’s final individual event.
Barratt and Ashwood currently sit #8 and #6 in the world, respectively, though neither hit a season-best this morning.
With just prelims and finals of every event 400 meters and up, only the top 8 will move on in this event. Included in that group is junior world champ Tamsin Cook, who went 4:09.73 for third place. Last year’s World Champs entrant alongside Ashwood was Leah Neale, and she barely snuck in wiht a 4:12.72 for 8th place.
Top 8:
- Barrat – 4:07.37
- Ashwood – 4:08.65
- Cook – 4:09.73
- Melverton – 4:10.39
- Lee – 4:11.55
- Fairweather – 4:11.80
- Titmus – 4:12.44
- Neale – 4:12.72
Dear Aussies, would you mind shipping one of your 3 great female 100 m backstrokers to Germany, we desperately need one.
Thank you!
I hope that all of them will go to Rio, it would be a shame if one of those world class athletes would miss Rio.
Mens 200 free will be very interesting, how fast will Horton/McEvoy go?
Mitch Larkin is too strong right now. The battle between him and the Americans (Murphy, Grevers,or Plummer) will be epic! I’m Murphy’s fan. I’m really want him to win but it seems pretty hard
Dont forget about Lacourt he’ll will always be there or there abouts
I sense that Grevers will be very dangerous . He has been strong in 2015 – going back to 52.5 and he has been preparing this summer in the best conditions and motivation . He has showed his speed on both SCM and LCM . He will be there with Murphy to challenge Larkin . Lacourt will be in the hunt .
Is Hackett on the team if he finishes top 6 in the 200 or does he need to swim a certain time standard as well? Looking forward to the wake settling in the 200. Hopefully he pushes thru semis to a mid inside lane in the final and can show some magic
NO, it will be in the hands of the selectors. With the ruling that “relay only” swimmers MUST be utilised in either heats or finals of the relay(s) for which they are nominated; selectors will be seeking to minimise any such selections. However, swimmers who have qualified in any individual event can be co-opted for any relay therefore selectors will seek to utilise them.
Top 4 are almost certainly going to be selected; those finishing any lower would most likely have to have made the team in another event.
With regards to Hackett, whilst it is very creditable that he has been able to do what he has done with this comeback; it would be a very sad indictment of… Read more »
Last year, they had four (Coughlin, Franklin, Baker, Adams) with Smoliga & Stevens at a minute point 0. At this point, the names may not be settled but it’s likely that they should have at least 5-6 sub minute at their Trials.
commonwombat the US women don’t have many women in the sub minute realm. Australia has more and their number seem to be growing.
The US men,s 100 back has ridiculous depth though.
Really a great deal from which to get a read from in this session; especially the two freestyle events. One can’t help having that nagging feeling that too many swimmers (and their coaches) never learn the lesson that international meets should teach them; coasting in heats bites you on the arse.
It was so very stark to contrast Bohl, the female backstrokers & Larkin who were completely “the business” to the freestylers and the other male backstrokers and female breaststrokers. You don’t get punished at AUS Trials but time and time again, they come up short in the big time.
Highlights:… Read more »
– Johansson a very pleasing sign ……. for SWE (lol)
– Bohl consolidating her break-out domestic season
“Reigning world champ Mitch Larkin rolled away with the top seed in the men’s 100 back, going 53.39. That’s well off his season-best, but that’s mostly because his season-best was a near-world-record effort from the World Cup last November.”
It’s only prelims.
With semis tonight.
And final tomorrow.
It was one of the easiest 53.39 100 back I have ever seen,
He also completely shut it down 8 meters before finish.
Also- Larkin looked fantastic. How are the Aussie men’s Br/Fly situations?
Breaststroke will get a better idea tonight, but in Jake Packard, a fairly solid mid 59s swimmer at present, hopefully goes better tonight.
Butterfly, hoping Geoff Huguill or Michael Klim might may a comeback, very poor!!!!