2024 Australian Open Championships: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2024 AUSTRALIAN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Wednesday, April 17th – Saturday, April 20th
• Prelims at 10am local (8pm previous night ET), Finals at 6pm local (4am ET)
• Gold Coast Aquatic Centre, Queensland, Australia
• LCM (50m)
• Non-Olympic Qualifying Event
• Women’s Races to Watch/Men’s Races to Watch
• Meet Central
• Final Start List
• Day 1 Prelims Live Recap | Day 1 Finals Live Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Recap
• Live Results (also available via Meet Mobile: “2024 Australian Open Championships”)
• Australian Channel 9 Livestream / YouTube Livestream

As a reminder, this Australian Open Championships competition is not an Olympic qualification event. We have listed the Australian Olympic qualification times just as a point of reference for what athletes will need to accomplish when Paris 2024 bids are on the line in June.

WOMEN’S 400 IM — FINAL

• World Record: 4:25.87, Summer McIntosh (2023)
• Australian Record: 4:29.45, Stephanie Rice (2008)
• Commonwealth Record: 4:25.87, Summer McIntosh (2023)
• Australian Olympic QT – 4:38.53

GOLD – Kaylee, McKeown, 4:28.22 *Australian Record
SILVER – Ella Ramsay, 4:36.94
BRONZE – Jenna Forrester, 4:47.18

In her second other-worldly performance, 22-year-old Olympic champion Kaylee McKeown busted out the best 400m IM of her life in 4:28.22.

The Michael Bohl-trained star erased Stephanie Rice‘s legendary Australian national record of 4:29.45 that’s been on the books since the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

McKeown attacked the race from start to finish, leading wire-to-wire to crush her previous personal best of 4:31.68 from last year’s Sydney Open, getting under the 4:30 barrier for the first time ever.

She now ranks as the #3 performer of all time in this grueling women’s 4IM. Look for an additional record-specific follow-up post.

All-Time Women’s LCM 400 IM Performers

1. Summer McIntosh (CAN) – 4:25.87, 2023
2. Katinka Hosszu (HUN) – 4:26.36, 2016
3. Kaylee McKeown (AUS) – 4:28.22, 2024
4. Ye Shiwen (CHN) – 4:28.43, 2012
5. Stephanie Rice (AUS) – 4:29.45, 2008

This pairs with the mind-boggling 2:06.99 200 IM national record she set last night to become the 5th fastest performer in history.

Despite her phenomenal outing, McKeown confirmed on deck after the race that she is ‘one and done’ in this 4IM and will not be racing it at Trials.

Of note, runner-up status went to Ella Ramsay who clocked 4:36.94, with the Chandler athlete obliterating her previous career-quickest 4:39.51 from last year’s Japan Open. She’s now the 7th-best Australian performer ever and ranks 9th in the world this season.

MEN’S 200 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Record: 1:42.00, Paul Biedermann (2009)
• Australian Record: 1:44.06, Ian Thorpe (2001)
• Commonwealth Record: 1:44.06, Ian Thorpe (2001)
• Australian Olympic QT – 1:45.97

GOLD – Flynn Southam, 1:46.11
SILVER – Elijah Winnington, 1:46.56
BRONZE – Tommy Neill, 1:46.60

18-year-old Flynn Southam held his own in this stacked men’s 200m free final.

The Bond star denied St. Peters Western’s Elijah Winnington a 2nd gold, getting to the wall first in a time of 1:46.11 to the elder’s 1:46.56.

Southam opened in 52.00 and closed in 54.11 to get the job done, establishing a new personal best in the process. Entering this competition, Southam’s PB rested at the 1:46.24 from last year’s Aussie Age Championships.

At the same edition of that competition which just concluded this year, he notched 1:46.43 as the champion so the teen is consistent with his performances as of late. He’s also inching up the Swimming Australia-mandated qualification standard of 1:45.97 needed to race this individually in Paris.

After taking the men’s 400m free last night in the fastest time in the world so far this season, Dean Boxall‘s Winnington settled for silver in a time slower than his prelims outing of 1:46.08.

Winnington’s career-quickest remains at the 1:45.53 produced at the 2022 World Championships. He wound up 8th there in Budapest in 1:45.82 in the final.

Rackley’s 21-year-old Tommy Neill continued his string of solid swims, putting up a mark of 1:46.60 as tonight’s bronze medalist.

Neill owns the Aussies’ fastest time of the season behind Maximillian Giuliani, having clocked a performance of 1:45.78 at last December’s Queensland Championships. That was just .08 outside his lifetime best of 1:45.70 logged at the Australian Olympic Trials for Tokyo.

As for Giuliani, tonight the #2 Aussie performer in history was relegated to 5th in 1:46.70 with Kai Taylor ahead of him in 1:46.65. 20-year-old Taylor was the athlete who negative split his men’s 4x200m free relay lead-off last night (53.36/52.53) to score a time of 1:45.89.

Of note, 27-year-old Zac Incerti led the entire field at the halfway point, posting an opening 100m of 52.50 before dropping off drastically to ultimately touch in 1:50.38.

Yesterday’s 50m fly gold medalist, Kyle Chalmers, did not show up for his heat.

WOMEN’S 100 BACK – FINAL

• World Record: 57.33, Kaylee McKeown (2023)
• Australian Record: 57.33, Kaylee McKeown (2023)
• Commonwealth Record: 57.33, Kaylee McKeown (2023)

GOLD – Mollie O’Callaghan, 58.09
SILVER –Iona Anderson, 59.53
BRONZE – Hannah Fredericks, 59.69

We saw a trio of women dip under the minute barrier tonight, led by 20-year-old Mollie O’Callaghan of St. Peters Western who took things one step further by getting under the 59-second threshold.

Following up on her 100m free victory from last night, O’Callaghan handily defeated tonight’s 1back field, getting to the wall in a head-turning 58.09.

Opening in 28.60 and closing in 29.49, O’Callaghan’s time represents a huge personal best for the Olympic medalist.

Prior to tonight, O’Callaghan’s career-best rested at the 58.42 from the 2023 edition of these championships, so she managed to hack off .33 with one spicy outing.

MOC is now the #2 Australian performer in history, froghopping 34-year-old new mom Emily Seebohm. Seebohm was in tonight’s race and punched 1:01.21 for 5th just months after giving birth to her first child.

All-Time Aussie Women’s LCM 100 Back Performers

1. Kaylee McKeown – 57.33, 2023
2. Mollie O’Callaghan – 58.09, 2024
3. Emily Seebohm – 58.23, 2012
4. Minna Atherton – 58.60, 2019
5. Madi Wilson – 58.75, 20.16

MOC also bumps herself up the season’s world rankings by beating her previous time of 58.71 from last month’s NSW Championships. She ranks #3 on the season through this point.

2024 World Championships silver medalist Iona Anderson was the quickest out of the heats (59.78) but settled for silver this evening in 59.53 while Hannah Fredericks rounded out the podium in 59.69.

Fredericks, 21, had never before dipped under a minute yet here the SPW athlete is with a shiny new PB of 59.69 as the bronze medalist.

Reminder that McKeown was all-in on the 4IM this evening and did not appear for the 1back heats this morning.

WOMEN’S 50 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Record: Sarah Sjostrom, 23.61 (2023)
• Australian Record: Cate Campbell, 23.78 (2018)
• Commonwealth Record: Cate Campbell, 23.78 (2018)
• Australian Olympic QT – 24.67

GOLD – Shayna Jack, 24.28 & Meg Harris, 24.28
BRONZE – Emma McKeon, 24.46

We saw a tie for gold in the women’s 50m freestyle, as 25-year-old Shayna Jack of St. Peters Western and 22-year-old Meg Harris of Rackley both touched in an identical time of 24.28.

For Jack, tonight’s result was a hair off the field-leading 24.21 that garnered her the top seed out of the morning heats with both falling outside her season-best. That remains at the 24.09 registered at the produced at December’s Queensland Championships.

Harris’ 24.28 on the other hand marks the speedster’s 2nd lifetime best in this competition.

Entering this meet she carried a PB of 24.29 from last year’s Sydney Open so she managed to shave .02 off to bring home the gold. This is a follow-up to her 100m free PB of 52.60 in the heats and then  52.59 from yesterday’s final.

• Meg Harris’ 52.60 100 Free Heats PB

Australia’s most decorated Olympian of all time Emma McKeon bagged bronze tonight in 24.46. That’s a big improvement on her previous season-best of 24.83 notched at last month’s NSW Championships. Remember McKeon suffered a muscular tear late last year.

Olympic multi-medalist Cate Campbell placed 4th in 24.79 and MOC, nearly straight after her 100m back victory, clocked 24.81 for 5th. C1 is the Aussie national record holder in this event, courtesy of the 23.78 put up at the 2018 Commonwealth GAmes.

MEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

• World Record – 2:05.48, Qin Haiyang (2023)
• Australian Record – 2:05.95, Zac Stubblety-Cook (2022)
• Commonwealth Record – 2:05.95, Zac Stubblety-Cook (2022)
• Australian Olympic QT – 2:09.50

GOLD – Zac Stubblety-Cook, 2:07.50
SILVER – Ippei Watanabe (JPN), 2:07.62
BRONZE – Joshua Yong, 2:08.54

Two former world record holders captured the top 2 spots in this men’s 200m breaststroke final as Zac Stubblety-Cook and visiting Japanese ace Ippei Watanabe placed 1-2 in this heated battle.

ZSC hit 2:07.50 and Watanabe was just .12 behind in 2:07.62 as the sole swimmers under the 2:08 barrier.

27-year-old Watanabe cranked out an opening half of 1:01.30 to ZSC’s 1:02.31 but the 25-year-old Aussie powered his way to a final 50m of 32.06 to Watanabe’s 32.84 to seal the seal.

Watanabe recently won the Japanese Olympic Trials in the 200m breaststroke, where he produced a world-leading time of 2:06.94.

ZSC’s outing tonight destroyed his season-best of 2:09.29 from January’s South Aussie States to rocket him up the world rankings to take over slot #6. He’s been as fast as 2:05.95 in this career, a time which stood as the world record under China’s Qin Haiyang dropped it down to 2:05.48 at the 2023 World Championships.

ZSC already won the men’s 100m breast last night in 59.85 to double up on golden hardware.

Not to be overlooked, however, was Joshua Yong who threw down the swim of his life en route to bronze.

22-year-old Yong of UWA had never before been under the 2:11 barrier yet somehow he managed to skip all the way down to 2:08.54 for a new PB by 3 seconds.

Yong’s previous best-ever rested at the 2:11.96 clocked at the 2022 Aussie Championships, a time he narrowly improed to 2:11.95 in the heats.

This evening, however, Yong split 29.87/32.52/33.36/32.79 to suddenly find himself checked in as Australia’s #5 performer in history. He is the #3 textile performer ever for the green and gold.

Look for a follow-up post on Yong’s eye-popping performance.

All-Time Aussie Men’s LCM 200 Breast Performers

1. Zac Stubblety-Cook – 2:05.95, 2022
2. Matt Wilson – 2:06.67, 2019
3. Christian Sprenger – 2:07.31, 2009
4. Brenton Rickard – 2:07.89, 2009
5. Joshua Yong – 2:08.54, 2024

WOMEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – FINAL

• World Record – 2:01.81, Liu Zige, China (2009)
• Australian Record – 2:03.41, Jessicah Schipper (2009)
• Commonwealth Record – 2:03.41, Jessicah Schipper (2009)
• Australian Olympic QT – 2:07.72

GOLD – Elizabeth Dekkers, 2:05.20, *All Comers Record
SILVER – Brianna Throssell, 2:06.98
BRONZE – Abbey Connor, 2:07.20

To say that Australia has depth in the women’s 200m fly is an understatement as we saw 5 women clear the 2:10 barrier by a healthy margin.

19-year-old Elizabeth (Lizzie) Deckers led the charge, breaking through with a big-time 2:05.20 as the gold medalist.

That overtook the previous All Comers Record of 2:05.26 she put on the books at last year’s World Championships Trials for a then-lifetime best. She wound up taking silver in Fukuoka in 2:05.46 as a testament to this star’s consistency.

Tonight, the reigning Commonwealth Games champion split 28.83/31.84/32.23/32.30 to score the 2:05.20 and now rank #2 in the world this season.

Carrying her momentum from this year’s World Championships, 28-year-old Brianna Throssell stopped the clock in 2:06.98 to snag the silver. That’s a new lifetime best for the Olympian, overtaking her previous PB of 2:07.08 from this competition last year.

In Doha, Throssell earned 200m free bronze in a new career-quickest time of 1:56.00.

Abbey Connor rounded out this 2fly podium, hitting 2:07.20. That’s still a solid effort from the 18-year-old who nabbed a PB of 2:06.59 at last month’s NSW Championships to rank as the 9th-best Aussie in history.

*All Comers Records are akin to U.S. Open Records where they represent the fastest time ever performed in an event on Australian soil by a swimmer of any nationality.

MEN’S 50 BACKSTROKE — FINAL

• World Record: 23.55, Kliment Kolesnikov (2023)
• Australian Record: 24.12, Isaac Cooper (2023)
• Commonwealth Record: 24.04, Liam Tancock (2009)

GOLD – Lewis Blackburn, 25.03
SILVER – Ben Armbruster, 25.12
BRONZE – Mark Nikolaev, 25.42

There wasn’t anything crazy in this men’s 50m back aside from a mild upset. Lewis Blackburn denied Ben Armbruster a repeat title in the event, with the former touching in 25.03 to the latter’s 25.12.

Mark Nikolaev bagged bronze in 25.42.

Armbruster was slightly more rapid in 2023, taking the meet title in 25.11 and was also faster this morning in 25.08.

2024 World Champion and Australian Record holder Isaac Cooper did not enter this event.

WOMEN’S 100 BREASTSTROKE — FINAL

• World Record: 1:04.13, Lilly King (2017)
• Australian Record: 1:05.09, Leisel Jones (2006)
• Commonwealth Record: 1:04.82, Tatjana Schoenmaker (2021)
• Australian Olympic QT – 1:06.31

GOLD – Jenna Strauch, 1:07.37
SILVER – Abbey Harkin, 1:07.71
BRONZE – Matilda Smith, 1:07.83

After the excitement of the women’s 200m IM and 200m fly, this 100m breast event was on the subdued end of the spectrum.

27-year-old Jenna Strauch logged a time of 1:07.37 for gold ahead of 25-year-old Abbey Harkin and 19-year-old Matilda Smith.

Harkin of St. Peters Western produced 1:07.71 while Smith wrangled up bronze in 1:07.83. Harkin was faster in the morning with a top-seeded 1:07.61 while her silver medal performance beat the 1:07.77 she registered for gold last year.

As for Strauch, she is proving she’s back to form after having bowed out of last year’s World Championships due to injury. She owns a season-best of 1:07.30.

15-year-old Sienna Toohey posted 1:08.66 for 5th. Toohey posted a best time of 1:07.72 just last week to put Leisel Jones’ 24-year-old age group record (1:07.49) on notice.

Bottom line, the women will need to up their game if they want to get near the Swimming Australia-mandated qualification time of 1:06.31 needed for the Olympic Games.

MEN’S 1500 FREESTYLE — FINAL

• World Record: 14:31.02, Sun Yang (CHN), 2012
• Australian Record: 14:34.56, Grant Hackett (2001)
• Commonwealth Record: 14:34.56, Grant Hackett (2001)
• Australian Olympic QT – 14:54.29

GOLD – Sam Short, 15:03.25
SILVER – Benjamin Goedemans, 15:14.68
BRONZE – Matthew Galea, 15:21.73

20-year-old Rackley ace Sam Short stopped the clock at 15:03.25 to top the men’s 1500m free podium by over 11 seconds to wrap up this evening’s individual events.

His outing sits just inside the list of his 10 best performances with Short’s career boasting a personal best of 14:37.28 from taking bronze at the 2023 World Championships.

19-year-old Benjamin Goedemans of St. Peters Western earned silver in 15:14.68, a new career-best by over 15 seconds and Matthew Galea collected bronze in 15:21.73.