2024 Aussie Age Champs Day 4: 14-Yr-Old Max Cunningham Sets Boys 50 Fly Age Record (24.97)

2024 AUSTRALIAN AGE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Day four of the 2024 Australian Age Championships at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre is in the books as some of the country’s brightest up-and-coming youngsters competed in the pool. For some, these championships are a stepping stone for next week’s Australian National Championships, as well as the June Australian Olympic Trials. For others, this competition is a qualification opportunity for slots on the Junior Pan Pacific Championships roster.

During the earlier heats session, Max Cunningham set a new Australian age record for 14-year-old boys in the 50 fly, becoming the first of his category to break 25 seconds at 24.97. Cunningham initially ranked 4th all-time with his 2023 personal best of 25.74. Cunningham’s sub-25 winning time took down Kyle Chalmers‘ 2013 age record of 25.24 by nearly three-tenths. Runner-up Lukas Dunn ironically touched in second at 25.74, yet had an entry time of 25.72. Regardless, Dunn now checks in as the 4th-fastest 14-year-old Aussie male performer in event history.

Into the 17-year-old girls 50 free final, Milla Jansen was the lone sub-25 swimmer to take out the win over 2023 World Junior champ Olivia Wunsch. Jansen stopped the clock at 24.86, checking in at No. 5 all-time in age group history. Wunsch settled for second at 25.03, just a half a second over her lifetime best of 24.59 that won 2023 World Juniors.

Into the 14-year-old boys 400 IM, Leny Grigor took down his personal best of 4:32.50 to win here in Southport at 4:30.84, remaining the 3rd-fastest 14-year-old Aussie male in event history. Ian Thorpe holds the 1997 age record at 4:26.42.

Checking in as the 8th-fastest 14-year-old Aussie girl in 200 breast history was Lilla Ribot-de-Bresac, taking the win with a personal best of 2:32.42.

Also maintaining her No. 9 all-time position in 15-year-old Aussie female history in the 200 breast was Olympia Pope, shaving more than two-tenths off her personal best to win at 2:29.12. Sienna Toohy was also under 2:30 for second place at 2:29.52, a two-second time drop.

Barely cracking the top ten 16-year-old Aussie female performers in 200 back history here in Southport was Zoe Ammundsen, punching in a 2:12.08. Meanwhile, 18-year-old Gideon Burnes was just off his No. 8 all-time age performance of 1:01.73 in the 100 breast, but still got the win by over a second at 1:01.77.

After Seungmin Oh won the 15-year-old boys 100 breast, Harrison Tancred got his revenge on Oh to win the 200 breast today at 2:23.70. Oh settled for third place at 2:25.28, right behind runner-up Harry Heath (2:24.99).

MORE DAY FOUR HIGHLIGHTS

  • 13-year-old Annika Silvester won her third butterfly event this week for her age category, most recently touching first in the age 13 girls 50 fly at 28.38. Another 13-year-old, Arika Erdenko, got her third age category win in the 400 IM at 5:06.26 following her previous 400/800 free wins.
  • 17-year-old Tex Cross matched Silvester and Erdenko also with a third age category win. Today, Cross took the 1500 free at 15:33.18 following his 400/800 free titles. Another Aussie boy, 15-year-old Luke Higgs, was another triple winner this week with his 400 free title at 3:59.66.
  • 15-year-old Ava Gaske took her second age category win in Queensland today by storming the 800 free by over 16 seconds with the winning time of 8:48.84. Earlier in the meet, Gaske won the 200 fly for her age group. 16-year-old Mikayla Bird also got a second win in Southport, adding the 100 fly title of 59.97 to her previous 400 free title.
  • 16-year-old Daisy Quinn also picked up her second age category win in the same event at 9:04.01, added to her previous 1500 free title. On the 16-year-old boys’ side, Lucas Fackerell also swept the two long distance free events for his age category, sealing the deal with a 15:52.41 to win the 1500 free following his 800 free win.

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Emily Se-Bom Lee
6 months ago

malfunction with the time graphic in heat 1 of the boys relay

Troyy
6 months ago

Trophy Machine’s back

Oceanian
6 months ago

Haven’t bothered with tonight’s stream as I was enjoying the pro coverage of athletics.

What’s been happening lads?

Troyy
Reply to  Oceanian
6 months ago

Not much to report. Conias is having a crack at Chalmers 50 free age record soom.

Oceanian
Reply to  Troyy
6 months ago

I saw Barclay’s 100 back was a bit disappointing but guess she has bigger fish to fry later on.

Poppy’s fly looked ok though.

Troyy
6 months ago

Conias having another crack at Chalmers 50 free age record

SNygans01
6 months ago

‘Frozen’ Top 10s – BOYS (excluding this week’s results):

  • 13yo 200 Free & 400Free – most recent is 2016 (Hauck, Coleman)
  • 16yo 200 Fly – only 1 since 2016 (2023 – Martinez, #9)
  • 14yo 200 Fly – only 1 since 2016 (2021 – Martinez, #3)
  • 17yo 200 Fly – most recent is 2017 (Winnington!)
  • 18yo 200 Breast – only 1 since 2017 (2023 – Petric, #6)
  • 18yo 200 Fly – only 1 since 2017 (2023 – Petric [again], #7)
  • 13yo 100 Back – most recent is 2018 (Zhang, Ma)
  • 13yo 200 Back – most recent is 2018 (Ma)
  • 14yo 200 Back – only 1 since 2017 (2021 – Hoang, #7)

Quite a few others just outside this list.

Troyy
6 months ago

Commentator saying Sally Vagg is coming when she’s dying

Mark69
6 months ago

In the 14 girls 100 free, Kukla’ record is 3 seconds faster than the first Australian finisher. Yolane was something at her best.

SNygans01
Reply to  Mark69
6 months ago

Oh yeah.
Note that she is ranked #3 all-time in the 16yo, but in slower time than her 14yo record!

Doesn’t feature at all in the 17yo top 10, and only just makes it in the 18yo.
Bit of an enigma.

Yolane and Jayden Hadler would make for interesting case studies about teen prodigies, the more so because both were swimming at a similar time.

SNygans01
6 months ago

I missed the girls’ fly at the start of the program – did Lillie Mc take that out?

No Live Results, if you can believe it.

Mark69
Reply to  SNygans01
6 months ago

Yes. 2 seconds outside Kukla’s record

SNygans01
Reply to  Mark69
6 months ago

Thanks Mark – that would still make it pretty good!

Mark69
Reply to  SNygans01
6 months ago

I didn’t mean to diminish her swim. It’s just so many of Kukla’s swims at 13 and 14 are mind blowing .

Mark69
Reply to  Mark69
6 months ago

So are Thorpie’s at 15. Fackerell swam really well but he is more than 15 seconds slower than Thorpie 25 years ago.

About Nick Pecoraro

Nick Pecoraro

Nick has had the passion for swimming since his first dive in the water in middle school, immediately falling for breaststroke. Nick had expanded to IM events in his late teens, helping foster a short, but memorable NCAA Div III swim experience at Calvin University. While working on his B.A. …

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