2024 Australian Olympic Trials: Day 3 Finals Live Recap

2024 AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC TRIALS

• Monday, June 10th – Saturday, June 15th
• Brisbane Aquatic Center – Brisbane, Australia
• Prelims at 11am local/9pm previous day ET; Finals at 7:30pm local/5:30am ET
• LCM (50 meters)
• Swimming Australian Olympic Nomination Criteria
• Meet Central
• Updated Psych Sheet
• Heat Sheets
• Day 1 Prelims Recap | Day 1 Finals Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Recap | Day 2 Finals Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Recap
• Live Results
• Livestream (VPN Needed)

Day 3 finals of the 2024 Australian Olympic Trials are here. This evening’s finals session will feature the women’s 200 free, as well as the men’s 800 free, 50 free, and 200 fly. The men’s 800 free free is a timed final event, the slowest heats of which were swum this morning.

All eyes will be on the women’s 200 free final tonight, as it should be a fantastic race between two of the top women’s freestylers in the world. World Record holder Mollie O’Callaghan was 2nd in this morning’s heats, swimming a 1:55.68. It was 400 free WR holder Ariarne Titmus who led the way this morning, swimming a 1:55.50. Titmus has been on fire so far this week, as she already won women’s 400 free on Monday, where she posted the 2nd-fastest time in history (to her own WR) with a 3:55.44. Meanwhile, O’Callaghan had a terrific 100 backstroke on Tuesday evening, finishing 2nd with a 57.88. Tonight’s 200 free final should be an phenomenal race between these two superstars.

The men’s 800 free fastest heat will see star distance swimmers Sam Short and Elijah Winnington go head-to-head. The pair are far and away the favorites to earn the top two finishes and punch their tickets to Paris in the event. Short, just 20 years old, has quickly become one of the premier men’s distance swimmers in the world currently, already having been 7:37.76 in this event in his career.

The men’s 50 free final will see Cam McEvoy competing for his spot on the Olympic roster. McEvoy, one of the top contenders for gold in the event in Paris, led the heats this morning by half a second, swimming a 21.43.

WOMEN’S 200 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Record – 1:52.85, Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS), 2023
• Australian Record – 1:52.85, Mollie O’Callaghan, 2023
• Oceanic Record – 1:52.85, Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS), 2023
• Commonwealth Record – 1:52.85, Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS), 2023
• Swim Australia OQT – 1:56.49

Top 8:

1. Ariarne Titmus – 1:52.23 (WORLD RECORD)
2. Mollie O’Callaghan – 1:52.48
3. Lani Pallister – 1:55.57
4. Brianna Throssell – 1:55.74
5. Shayna Jack – 1:56.22 (TIE)
6. Jamie Perkins – 1:56.22 (TIE)
7. Brittany Castelluzzo – 1:56.77
8. Meg Harris – 1:56.93

What a way to start a finals session. The duo of 23-year-old Ariarne Titmus and 20-year-old Mollie O’Callaghan gave us the race we were dreaming of. They were locked in a very close race from the start, never separating by more than a quarter of a second. They would both crush O’Callaghan’s World Record mark of 1:52.85, which was set last year.

Timus won the race, swimming a 1:52.23, while O’Callaghan was right behind in 1:52.48. O’Callaghan was out in 26.59 on the opening 50m, just ahead of Titmus’ 26.64. Titmus would then take the lead on the 2nd 50, splitting 28.49, and she would hold her slim lead through the rest of the race.

With their performances tonight, Australia will not only be sending the top 2 swimmers in the world this year to Paris, they’ll be sending the fastest 2 women in history.

As for how the rest of the final shook out, Australia’s 4×200 free relay for Paris looks to be in great shape. Lani Pallister took 3rd in 1:55.57, while Brianna Throssell also had a strong swim with a 1:55.74 for 4th. Shayna Jack and Jamie Perkins then tied for 5th at 1:56.22, rounding out Australia’s top 6 swimmers.

MEN’S 800 FREESTYLE — TIMED FINAL

• World Record – 7:32.11, Zhang Lin (CHN), 2009
• Australian Record – 7:37.76, Sam Short, 2023
• Oceanic Record – 7:37.76, Sam Short (AUS), 2023
• Commonwealth Record – 7:37.76, Sam Short (AUS), 2023
• Swim Australia OQT – 7:45.80

Top 8:

1. Elijah Winnington – 7:44.90
2. Sam Short – 7:46.52
3. Matthew Galea – 7:53.99
4. Benjamin Goedemans – 7:55.76
5. Kyle Lee – 7:56.64
6. Lachlan Walker – 7:59.11
7. Noah Millard – 8:02.04
8. Thomas Raymond – 8:04.19

In something of a mini upset, 24-year-old Elijah Winnington won the men’s 800 free tonight over Sam Short. Winnington clocked a 7:44.90 tonight, coming in under the Swim Australia Qualifying Time of 7:45.80, punching his ticket to Paris. That was a strong swim for Winnington, who went 7:42.95 at the World Championships back in February.

Meanwhile, that was a bit of an off swim for Sam Short, who came in 2nd with a 7:46.52. Not only did Short come in 2nd, he wasn’t under the QT either. Short has been as fast as 7:37.76 in his career, and has already been 7:43.98 this year. Short already qualified for the Olympic Team via his 2nd-place finish in the 400 free final on Monday night, where he swam a 3:43.90. Winnington won that race as well, swimming a 4:43.26.

MEN’S 50 FREESTYLE — FINAL

• World Record — 20.91, Cesar Cielo (BRA), 2009
• Australian Record – 21.06, Cameron McEvoy (AUS), 2023
• Oceanic Record – 21.06, Cameron McEvoy (AUS), 2023
• Commonwealth Record – 21.06, Cameron McEvoy (AUS), 2023
• Swim Australia OQT – 21.88

Top 8:

1. Cam McEvoy – 21.35
2. Ben Armbruster – 21.84
3. Isaac Cooper – 21.97
4. Kyle Chalmers – 22.04
5. Jamie Jack – 22.06
6. Jack Cartwright – 22.21
7. William Yang – 22.23
8. Thomas Nowakowski – 22.24

Cam McEvoy made history tonight, winning the men’s 50 free in 21.35. Not only is that a very nice Trials swim for McEvoy, who holds the Australian Record in the event at 21.06, but he also qualified for his 4th Olympics, making him Australia’s first male swimmer to do so.

The 21.35 was a great swim for McEvoy in the leadup to Paris, where he will be among the favorites to win gold. He’ll have a chance to make history once again in Paris, as Australia has never medaled in the men’s 50 free at the Olympics, which is something McEvoy hopes to change this year.

McEvoy has seen a resurgence in his career since the Tokyo Olympics, after which he took a break from swimming than returned with an entirely new and innovative training program. He’s talked very openly about how he’s changed up his training from where it was before, now putting a huge emphasis on his land training and cutting down his in-water volume severely. Since doing so, McEvoy has won World Champs gold in the 50 free and set the Australian Record with a 21.06.

If McEvoy’s swim is on one end of a swimmer’s career spectrum tonight, 22-year-old Ben Armbruster was on the other. Armbruster took 2nd tonight in 21.84, qualifying for his first Olympic team. He got the job done, dipping under the QT of 21.88 to join McEvoy in Paris.

MEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY — FINAL

• World Record — 1:50.34, Kristof Milak (HUN), 2022
• Australian Record — 1:54.46, Nick D’Arcy, 2009
• Oceanic Record – 1:54.15, Moss Burmester, 2009
• Commonwealth Record — 1:52.96, Chad Le Clos, 2012
• Swim Australia OQT — 1:54.97

Top 8:

1. Bowen Gough – 1:56.18
2. Harrison Turner – 1:57.07
3. Ruan Van Der Riet – 1:59.21
4. Lucas Humeniuk – 1:59.92
5. Alex Fahey – 2:00.48
6. Caio Gallo – 2:00.84
7. Kyle Lee – 2:01.06
8. Joseph Hamson – 2:03.24

After leading prelims of the 200 fly this morning, 24-year-old Matthew Temple didn’t race in finals tonight. In finals tonight, it was 26-year-old Bowen Gough who won the race, swimming a 1:56.18. While it was a good swim for Gough, he was over a second off the Swimming Australia Olympic Qualifying Time of 1:54.97, which means Australia won’t have any swimmers in the men’s 200 fly in Paris.

Harrison Turner came in 2nd tonight with a 1:57.07, improving considerably on his prelims swim of 1:59.23.