2017 Aussie National C’ships Day 4 Finals Live Recap

2017 AUSTRALIAN SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

WOMEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

  • Swimming Australia QT – 2:23.06
  • FINA A – 2:25.91
  • The Podium:
    • Taylor McKeown – 2:23.58
    • Tessa Wallace – 2:25.45
    • Jessica Hansen – 2:30.62

Two of the 3 podium members from the 100m breaststroke earlier in the meet found themselves with more hardware in this 200m distance, led by now double national title-winner Taylor McKeown. The 22-year-old Olympian managed to hack 3.15 seconds off of her speedy morning swim to clock a mark of 2:23.58 for the victory tonight in Brisbane. The USC Spartans’ outing now ranks as the 4th fastest time in the world this season.

2016-2017 LCM WOMEN 200 BREAST

YuliyaRUS
EFIMOVA
06/13
2.19.11
2Bethany
GALAT
USA2.21.7707/28
3Lilly
KING
USA2.21.8306/28
4Jinglin
SHI
CHN2.21.9307/28
5Jocelyn
ULYETT
GBR2.22.0804/19
View Top 26»

The USC Spartans swimmer is Australia’s defending national champion in this race, having won the 2016 title in a time of 2:21.45. Unfortunately for the green and gold, McKeown wasn’t able to replicate that performance once in Rio, despite throwing down a semi swim of 2:21.69. She would wind up 5th overall in the final, earning a time of 2:22.43. However, McKeown didn’t come away entirely medal-less, as she was a member of Australia’s silver medal-winning 4x100m medley relay.

Silver medalist in the 100m distance here in Brisbane, Jessica Hansen, settled for bronze in the longer race, stopping the clock at 2:30.62. Tessa Wallace of Pelican Waters was tonight’s silver medalist in a mark of 2:25.45, the 10th fastest result of her career. Wallace soared to 2nd place from 4th in prelims.

No woman was able to notch the Aussie-mandated QT in either breaststroke distance at these championships, which means no swimmer will be automatically selected to Budapest. If a breaststroker were to make the squad, it would be by way of discretionary selection.

WOMEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE – FINAL

  • Swimming Australia QT – 2:09.16
  • FINA A – 2:11.53
  • The Podium:

While some Olympians at this meet are falling a little flat, a lá Mitch Larkin and Madi Wilson, Australian backstroking legend Emily Seebohm has been flourishing. Qualifying for her 2nd individual event for Budapest after claiming gold in the 100m back earlier in the meet, the double world champion topped the podium in this longer distance, throwing down a super quick 2:07.03. That time now overtakes Canada’s Kylie Masse and Russia’s Daria Ustinova to sit upon the world rankings throne in this event.

2016-2017 LCM WOMEN 200 BACK

EmilyAUS
SEEBOHM
07/29
2.05.68
2Katinka
HOSSZU
HUN2.05.8507/29
3Kylie
MASSE
CAN2.05.9707/28
4Kathleen
BAKER
USA2.06.3806/28
5Kaylee
MCKEOWN
AUS2.06.76*WJR07/29
View Top 26»

Seebohm’s outing tonight checks-in as the 9th best performance in Australian swimming history, with all of the top 10 results ever shared now only between Seebohm and 2016 national title winner Belinda Hocking. Hocking retired after Rio, giving Seebohm an opportunity to clinch the 100m/200m national title double for just the 2nd time. Also with her victory tonight, Seebohm just collected her 20th national title. That’s just simply incredible.

Not to be overlooked in the race, however, is the fact that 15-year-old USC Spartans athlete Kaylee McKeown just blasted a huge personal best to clear the Aussie-mandated QT and make her first senior World Championships squad. Entering the meet, McKeown’s personal best was the 2:09.18 from last month’s NSW Championships, but McKeown took things down to the sub-2:09 level for the very first time, stopping the clock at 2:08.98 for silver. Remarkably, even as quick as her race was, McKeown’s time still falls short of the 15-year-old age group record of 2:08.00.

That age group record is held by now-16-year-old Brisbane Grammar star Minna Atherton, who looked promising with a 2nd seed out of prelims, only to finish 5th overall in 2:11.32.

Bronze tonight went to Melbourne Vicentre’s Hayley Baker, who touched in 2:09.26 to finish just .10 over the Aussie QT, showing how fast the top tier of this race really was.

MEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – FINAL

  • Swimming Australia QT – 1:55.75
  • FINA A – 1:57.28
  • The Podium:

David Morgan of TSS Aquatics just became the men’s 200m butterfly national title holder for the 2nd consecutive year. We speculated it would take almost a lifetime best swim for Morgan (or any other competitor) to clear the Aussie-mandated, stiff World Championships QT of 1:55.75, and that’s just about what it took for the 2016 Olympian to claim his 2nd individual title of the meet.

Topping the field tonight in a speedy 1:55.70, the 23-year-old just scored the 2nd fastest performance of his career and the 9th fastest performance in Australian history. Last year, an Olympic year no less, Morgan clocked 1:55.63 to make the team, so his Budapest-qualifying outing tonight was only.07 off of that career-best feat. Morgan missed qualifying for the 100m butterfly earlier in the meet by just.3.

Runner-up was Grant Irvine, who touched in 1:56.05, while the rest of the field, including bronze medal winner Nicholas Brown (1:58.43) fell off into the 1:58 zone and beyond from that point. Although Irvine doesn’t qualify for Budapest, he does now enter the world rankings at #9.

2016-2017 LCM MEN 200 FLY

ChadRSA
LE CLOS
07/26
1.53.33
2Masato
SAKAI
JPN1.53.7104/15
3Laszlo
CSEH
HUN1.53.7207/26
4Kristof
MILAK
HUN1.53.79*WJR07/01
5Nao
HOROMURA
JPN1.53.9008/20
6Daiya
SETO
JPN1.54.0307/25
7Tamás
Kenderesi
HUN1:54.3306/24
8Jack
CONGER
USA1.54.4706/27
9Pace
CLARK
USA1.54.5806/27
10Chase
KALISZ
USA1.54.7906/27
View Top 26»

MEN’S 400 IM – FINAL

  • Swimming Australia QT – 4:15.47
  • FINA A – 4:17.90
  • Top 8:

All but one of the 8 finalists in the men’s 400m IM dropped notable time from their morning swims, led by 19-year-old Clyde LewisLewis already threw down the win in the 200m IM and now doubled up on that victory with his 4:18.60 time tonight to take the grueling 400m edition. Although his best time checks in at 4:16.58, tonight’s performance ranks as #2 within the St. Peters Western swimmer’s young career. Lewis is red-hot this meet, having already also collected a bronze in the 200m backstroke.

Just .25 behind Lewis was Chandler athlete Jared Gilliland, who finished in 4:18.85 for silver. Ironically, Gilliland’s personal best ties that of Lewis at 4:16.58, so he would have had to produce the swim of his life to notch the stiff Aussie QT of 4:15.47 to get to Budapest.

Bronze tonight went to new Marion Swimming Club athlete Travis Mahoney with his mark of 4:19.10. That hacked almost 6 seconds off of his prelims effort, but falls well outside of the 4:13.37 and 4:15.48 outings he produced in Rio in peak athletic and training shape.

MEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – FINAL

In the marquis race of the night, the fastest 100m freestyler ever in a textile suit, Cameron McEvoy, was pitted against the young gun gold medalist in the event, Kyle Chalmers. The 22-year-old Bond swimmer came out on top, as McEvoy claims the world’s first 47-point time of the season.

Splitting 22.27/25.18, McEvoy nailed an impressive 47.91 to top the world rankings, his domestic field and earn his 2nd individual roster berth for Budapest. He already won the 50m freestyle decisively in a world-topping 21.55.

Chalmers also scored a qualification mark, touching in a solid 48.20, the 5th fastest outing of his young career. Given the fact the Marion star was too sick to swim the entire NSW Championships last month, the Rio hero can consider the job done in Brisbane. He now sits as the 2nd fastest swimmer in the world this season. FYI, this is the 2nd 100m freestyle race in a row where Chalmers has produced a comparatively slow reaction time of .71. McEvoy was .62, while Louis Townsend was .58, so the 18-year-old hulk would benefit from a quicker blast off the blocks.

2016-2017 LCM Men 100 FREE

2Mehdy
METELLA
FRA47.6507/26
3Nathan
ADRIAN
USA47.8707/28
4Duncan
SCOTT
GBR47.9004/20
5Cameron
McEVOY
AUS47.9104/12
View Top 26»

18-year-old Jack Cartwright impressed yet again, dropping his personal best down from 48.91 to 48.81 in prelims, then down almost another 4/10 down to 48.43.  Splitting 23.52/24.91, Cartwright dipped under the quick 48.49 Aussie-mandated QT for Budapest and just earned a slot on his nation’s World Championships 4x100m freestyle relay. The rising sprint ace now sits as 3rd fastest in the world rankings. Remember, Cartwright does have international racing experience having won gold in this event at the 2016 Junior Pan Pacific Championships.

4th place went to West Coast’s Zac Incerti, who also reaped a big time drop to finish in 49.03 for probably relay selection.

WOMEN’S 1500 FREESTYLE – TIMED FINAL

  • Swimming Australia QT – N/A
  • FINA A – 16:32.04
  • The Podium:
    • Kareena Lee – 16:26.46
    • Mikayla Messer – 16:29.24
    • Madelein Gough – 16:32.17

In a field of just 7 swimmers during this morning’s prelims, open water swimmer Kareena Lee took the 1500m freestyle timed final win in a time of 16:26.46. She was followed by Mikayla Messer and Madelein Gough, who touched in 16:29.24 and 16:32.17 for silver and bronze, respectively.

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ERVINFORTHEWIN
6 years ago

I Hope Adrian puts a 47.9 this week as well .

Tony Stark
Reply to  ERVINFORTHEWIN
6 years ago

If I were mcEvoy and Chalmers, I’d have hoped and prayed that Adrian and Dressel swim 47.5 in the nationals.

If past events since 2008 teach us anything, the aussies don’t perform well when they are the favorites.

Robbos
Reply to  Tony Stark
6 years ago

McEvoy may be favourite, but Chalmers will not, based on that time.

Sergei
6 years ago

Evgeny Rylov – 48.48, 4×100 free relay on 1st leg 10.04.2017 in Moscow

not tony the tiger
6 years ago
50free
Reply to  not tony the tiger
6 years ago

That was adorable

mannnnnnnnn
6 years ago

When can we see the full results of today’s Chinese National?

bobo gigi
6 years ago

Amazing how Australia is able to produce new 100 free super talents almost each year.
While they look bad in many other events.

not tony the tiger
Reply to  bobo gigi
6 years ago

it is called Australian crawl after all…..

ERVINFORTHEWIN
Reply to  not tony the tiger
6 years ago

LOL

not tony the tiger
6 years ago

Xu pretty fast time! cut from a 52.31 at rio

MichaelTran
Reply to  not tony the tiger
6 years ago

Super fast time!! Going out in 24.99 and still coming back home in A sub 27 style (26.86)
He can break the WR this year

not tony the tiger
Reply to  MichaelTran
6 years ago

I would like to see murph take a shot at the scm 100 back WR

E Gamble
Reply to  not tony the tiger
6 years ago

This is a Duel in the Pool year right? I want to see Ryan and Dressel swim SCM. ☺

ERVINFORTHEWIN
Reply to  E Gamble
6 years ago

Oh yeah ……

MichaelTran
6 years ago

My earlythoughts about the WC
Men’s event:
50 free: Very open event. Very hard to predict but i am rooting for Dressel
100 free: Cam McEvoy and Kyle Chalmers for me. Really hope Dressel can go 47 mid this year
200 free: Sun Yang is the favorite
400 free: Sun Yang is also the favorite. Horton and Detti are very dangerous too
800 free: Detti, Yang, Paltrinieri will have a good fight
1500 free: Paltrinieri in his own league. Horton is the dark horse
50 back: i have no idea maybe Xu or Grevers? 🙂
100 back: Xu is very very dangerous. He can break the WR. Wait some months to… Read more »

bobo gigi
Reply to  MichaelTran
6 years ago

Your predictions don’t look bad at all.
I think Mr Haas can beat Sun Yang in the 200 free. And add Lacourt for the contenders in the 50 back.
I will post my world predictions later in the year. I’m working about US championships first.

bobo gigi
Reply to  bobo gigi
6 years ago

I’m working on US championships first. I need to see some veterans in Mesa before.

ERVINFORTHEWIN
Reply to  bobo gigi
6 years ago

I also believe that Haas can do something special this summer . He was 1.44 on that relay leg , he has the NCAA behind him and knows what he is capable in LC .

MichaelTran
6 years ago

51.86 by Xu!! Insane fast!!!
He is the heavy favorite now not only for 100m back and also 200m back and maybe 50m back. Especially Murphy is not in great form like last year.
And i have a feeling he will sweep the backstroke events in the biggest stage :((((( ( I predict he will go 1:53 mid in 200m back new few days)
And once again i am very afraid of China’s 400m medley replay team. They are the favorite now. The US team needs some super legs by Cordes/Miller (58 low) and especially by Adrian/Dressel (46.6-46.7) to knock out The Chinese

About Retta Race

Retta Race

Former Masters swimmer and coach Loretta (Retta) thrives on a non-stop but productive schedule. Nowadays, that includes having just earned her MBA while working full-time in IT while owning French 75 Boutique while also providing swimming insight for BBC.

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