2024 Australian Open Championships: Day 4 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|Day 2 Finals Live Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Recap | Day 3 Finals Live Recap
• Day 4 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.

MEN’S 100 FREESTYLE — FINAL

• World Record — 46.80, Pan Zhanle (2024)
• Australian Record — 47.04, Cameron McEvoy (2016)
• Commonwealth Record — 47.04, Cameron McEvoy (2016)
• Australian Olympic Qualifying Time – 48.06

GOLD – Kyle Chalmers, 47.63
SILVER – William Yang, 48.20
BRONZE – Kai Taylor, 48.69

Right off the bat we were treated to a monster in-season performance from 24-year-old Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers.

Racing in the men’s 100m free, Chalmers of St. Andrew’s busted out a head-turning time of 47.63 to get to the wall first.

Splitting 22.91/24.72, Chalmers produced the sole time of the field under the 48-second threshold. Behind him was 25-year-old William Yang who clocked 48.20 as the silver medalist. St. Peters Western 20-year-old Kai Taylor also landed on the podium in 48.69 for bronze.

Chalmers’ outing easily overtook his previous season-best time entering this competition of 48.15 from the Japan Open. He already beat that in the morning heats here with a strong 48.08 to land lane 4.

He now ranks 4th in the world in his debut since changing coaches. It’s still strange to see ‘t. Andrew’s next to the speedster’s name as opposed to Marion. You can read more about Chalmers’ having to move coaches here.

Chalmers already nailed times of 21.98 in the 50m free and 23.10 in the 50m fly, both representing the South Aussie’s career-quickest results.

Not to be overlooked was Yang’s runner-up mark of 48.20, a new personal bet for the SOSC swimmer who had to drop out of the World Championships season last year due to undergoing back surgery.

Yang split 22.34/24.86 to undercut his previous PB of 48.38 put up at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. He’s now the 12th-quickest Australian man in history.

The rest of the field finished as follows:

4th – Jamie Jack, 48.94; 5th – Flynn Southam, 48.96; 6th – Zac Incerti, 49.19; 7th – Carter Swift – 49.69; 8th – Jack Cartwright, 49.39; 9th – Cody Simpson, 49.69; 10th – Maximillian Giuliani, 49.74

WOMEN’S 200 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Record – 1:52.85, Mollie O’Callaghan (2023)
• Australian Record – 1:52.85, Mollie O’Callaghan (2023)
• Commonwealth Record – 1:52.85, Mollie O’Callaghan (2023)
• Australian Olympic Qualifying Time – 1:56.59

GOLD – Mollie O’Callaghan, 1:53.57
SILVER – Ariarne Titmus, 1:55.38
BRONZE – Lani Pallister, 1:55.99

Following up her already-impressive performances in the 100m free, 100m back and 50m back, 20-year-old Mollie O’Callaghan put up an eye-popping time of 1:53.57 to take this stacked women’s 200m free.

The reigning World Record holder split 26.46/29.30 (55.76)/29.47/28.34(57.81) to touch first with a healthy advantage over Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus who settled for silver in 1:55.38.

Griffith’s Lani Pallister rounded out the top 3 finishers in 1:55.99.

MOC entered this meet ranked highest worldwide among the Aussies, having put up a time of 1:54.36 at December’s Queensland Championships.

Tonight’s performance dropped nearly a second from that outing to rocket the Dean Boxall-trained superstar up the world rankings to now be #1. She takes the crown from Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey (1:54.08) as the only sub-1:54 swimmer on the planet thus far this season.

Additionally, MOC’s 1:53.57 ranks as the 7th-swiftest performance in history, a fact which is mindblowing considering this is an in-season affair.

Top 10 Women’s LCM Performances All-Time

1. 1:52.85 – Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS), 2023
2. 1:52.98 – Federica Pellegrini (ITA), 2009
3. 1:53.01 – Ariarne Titmus (AUS), 2023
4. 1;53.09 – Ariarne Titmus (AUS), 2021
5. 1:53.31 – Ariarne Titmus (AUS), 2022
6. 1:53.50 – Ariarne Titmus (AUS), 2021
7. 1:53.57 – Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS), 2024
8. 1:53.61 – Allison Schmitt (USA), 2012
9. 1:53.65 – Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2023
10. 1:53.66 – Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS), 2023

Titmus’ time also represents a season-best, undercutting the 1:55.81 produced at the NSW Championshps last month. Pallister posted 1:55.92 at that competition so she was just off that result tonight.

28-year-old Brianna Throssell finished 4th in 1:56.48, just .48 outside the 1:56.00 lifetime best that garnered her bronze in Doha.

Shayna Jack placed 5th in 1:56.96 and Meg Harris, after hitting 100m free (52.59) and 50m free (24.28) lifetime bests here, finished 8th in 1:58.91.

As with the 100m free, the Swimming Australia-mandated Olympic selection standard of 1:56.59 won’t be a problem for these wicked-fast women. They will all be battling to see which 2 swimmers can power their way to the wall first along with who will duke it out thereafter for coveted slots on the 4x200m free relay.

Speaking of the 4x200m free relay, be sure to catch up on the latest medal-placement-shifting news regarding that event from the 2020 Olympic Games.

MEN’S 400 IM – FINAL

• World Record – 4:02.50, Leon Marchand (2023)
• Australian Record – 4:09.27, Brendon Smith (2021)
• Commonwealth Record – 4:08.70, Lewis Clareburt (2022)
• Australian Olympic Qualifying Time – 4:12.50

GOLD – Daiya Seto (JPN), 4:10.44
SILVER – Lewis Clareburt (NZL), 4:10.86
BRONZE – William Petric, 4:13.55

The men’s 400m IM event falls on the weaker end of the spectrum compared to the sprint freestyle and butterfly races, as visiting swimmers Daiya Seto of Japan and Lewis Clareburt of New Zealand easily claimed the top 2 spots in tonight’s final.

Opting out of the 200m IM in which he’s already qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, 13-time world champion Seto posted a winning effort of 4:10.44 to outstroke the reigning world champion Clareburt who touched in 4:10.86.

Clareburt ranks 4th in the world with the 4:09.72 he logged in Doha for gold while Seto registered 4:10.84 at the Japanese Olympic Trials to rank 8th heading into this competition.

29-year-old Seto’s outing here sliced .40 off that, dropping under the Japanese Swimming Federation (JASF)-mandated Olympic qualifying time of 4:10.63. Although the nation’s Trials are done and dusted, Seto may be building a case to have the JASF allow him to race in the 400m IM in Paris despite missing the QT last month.

The fastest Aussie tonight was 200m IM winner here William Petric with the 19-year-old getting to the wall in 4:13.55.

His performance represents a new career-best, surpassing the 4:14.07 from last month’s NSW Championships. The Nunawading swimmer keeps inching toward the 4:12.50 Olympic selection standard, a benchmark under which just 2 Aussies have ever been.

Petric’s outing now inserts him onto the list of all-time Aussie performers in slot #6.

All-Time Aussie Men’s LCM 400 IM Performers

1. Brendon Smith – 4:09.27, 2021
2. Thomas Fraser-Holmes – 4:10.14, 2013
3. Clyde Lewis – 4:13.12, 2018
4. Travis Mahoney – 4:13.37, 2016
5. Tommy Neill – 4:13.43, 2023
6. William Petric – 4:13.55, 2024

MEN’S 50 BREASTSTROKE — FINAL

• World Record — 25.95, Adam Peaty (2017)
• Australian Record — 26.32, Sam Williamson (2024)
• Commonwealth Record — 25.95, Adam Peaty (2017)

GOLD – Sam Williamson 27.16
SILVER – Joshua Yong, 27.60
BRONZE – Taku Taniguchi (JPN), 27.73

Reigning world champion Sam Williamson grabbed the men’s 50m breast gold despite adding time from his rapid morning outing.

In the heats, the 26-year-old Melbourne Vicentre athlete clocked 27.07 to land lane 4 while tonight he touched in 27.16. He holds the Australian record of 26.32 from the 2024 World Championships.

22-year-old Joshua Yong followed up his eye-popping 3-second drop in the men’s 200m breast for bronze with a solid 27.60 for silver. That once again crushed his 27.59 previous PB put on the books last December in South Australia.

Japan’s Taku Taniguchi wrangled up bronze in 27.73. He has already qualified as a relay swimmer on the Japanese roster for Paris 2024.

MEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY — FINAL

• World Record — 1:50.34, Kristof Milak (2022)
• Australian Record — 1:54.46, Nick D’Arcy (2009)
• Commonwealth Record —  1:52.96, Chad Le Clos (2012)
• Australian Olympic Qualifying Time – 1:54.97

GOLD – Bowen Gough, 1:57.85
SILVER – Matt Temple, 1:58.03
BRONZE – Ruan Van Der Riet, 2:00.27

The men’s 200m fly was very much subdued compared to other events we’ve seen over the past 4 days, as just 2 racers dipped under the 2:00 barrier.

25-year-old Bowen Gough of Griffith topped the field in 1:57.85 followed by 100m fly champion and Oceanian record holder Matt Temple.

Temple hit 1:58.03 for runner-up status and USC Spartan Ruan Van Der Riet captured bronze in 2:00.27.

The Australian Olympic QT of 1:54.97 remains elusive for the domestic swimmers. Temple owns the quickest time of all Aussies this season, holding a season-best of 1:55.41 from the Japan Open.

WOMEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE — FINAL

• World Record — 2:03.14, Kaylee McKeown (2023)
• Australian Record — 2:03.14, Kaylee McKeown (2023)
• Commonwealth Record — 2:03.14, Kaylee McKeown (2023)
• Australian Olympic Qualifying Time – 2:09.74

GOLD – Kaylee McKeown, 2:03.84
SILVER – Hannah Fredericks, 2:08.92
BRONZE – Iona Anderson, 2:11.40

Pouring down rain at an outdoor pool was no problem for megastar Kaylee McKeown who just threw down the 6th-fastest performance in history.

The 22-year-old Olympic multi-gold medalist McKeown unleashed a mark of 2:03.84 despite less-than-ideal conditions, a new season-best for the world record holder.

McKeown hit splits of 29.14/31.20(1:00.34)/31.82/31.68(1:03.50) to get the job done, with the first half faster than the opening 1:00.73 produced en route to her 2:03.14 world record from last year.

The Michael Bohl-trained McKeown now overtakes the world rankings crown with her season-best, erasing the 2:04.21 turned in last month at the NSW Championships.

Her cat-and-mouse game with American Regan Smith continues as McKeown has the edge now in both the 100m and 200m distances.

Although well behind for silver, 21-year-old Hannah Fredericks posted 2:08.92 as the only other swimmer under the 2:10 threshold.

Fredericks of St. Peters Western surpassed her previous PB entering these championships. That prior effort stood at the 2:09.87 from last July. She’s now the 11th-best Aussie 200m back performer of all time.

World Championships medalist Iona Anderson bagged bronze in 2:11.40.

WOMEN’S 100 BUTTERFLY – FINAL

• World Record – 55.48, Sarah Sjostrom (2016)
• Australian Record – 55.72, Emma McKeon (2021)
• Commonwealth Record – 55.59, Maggie MacNeil (2021)
• Australian Olympic Qualifying Time – 57.17

GOLD – Emma McKeon, 56.58
SILVER – Brianna Throssell, 56.77
BRONZE – Alexandria Perkins, 57.73

Australia’s most decorated Olympian of all time Emma McKeon was the one to watch in the women’s 100m fly, racing her way to gold in 56.58. This was despite heavy rainfall continuing at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre.

Opening in 26.09 and closing in 30.49, the 29-year-old Griffith University swimmer was just off the 56.40 she turned in at February’s Vic Open to rank 6th in the world on the season.

Throssell, who already raced earlier in the session the 200m free, ripped a new lifetime best of 56.77 en route to silver.

That lowered her previous career-swiftest benchmark of 56.96 from nearly 2 years ago to check in as the 4th-best Australian performer ever.

Top 5 Australian Women’s LCM 100 Butterfly Performers All-Time

1. Emma McKeon – 55.72, 2021
2. Jessicah Schipper – 56.23, 2009
3. Libby Trickett – 56.73, 2008
4. Brianna Throssell – 56.77, 2024
5. Alicia Coutts – 56.85, 2012

Alexandria Perkins bagged bronze in 57.73, adding slightly to the 57.71 logged in the heats.

Perkins helped Australia earn 4 relay medals at this year’s World Championships: women’s 4x100m free relay silver, 4x100m medley relay gold, mixed free relay silver and mixed medley relay silver.

WOMEN’S 1500 FREE – FASTEST HEAT

• World Record – 15:20.48, Katie Ledecky (USA), 2018
• Australian Record – 15:46.13, Maddy Gough, 2021
• Commonwealth Record – 15:40.14, Lauren Boyle (NZL), 2015
• Australian Olympic Qualifying Time – 16:01.95

GOLD – Lani Pallister, 15:57.01
SILVER – Tiana Kritzinger, 16:23.97
BRONZE – Jacqueline Davison-McGovern, 16:39.18

On the heels of her 200m freestyle bronze, 21-year-old Pallister got it done for gold in the final event of the evening, the women’s 1500m free.

Pallister punched a result of 15:57.01 to get to the wall nearly 17 seconds ahead of the next-closest competitor Tiana Kritzinger.

19-year-old Kritzinger of Rackley secured silver in 16:23.97 followed by 20-year-old St. Peters Western’s Jacqueline Davison-McGovern who notched 16:39.18 as the bronze medalist.

Pallister already ranked #3 in the world with the 15:49.94 scored at the Queensland Championships.