2020 WESTERN AUSTRALIA SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Friday, January 17th – Sunday, January 19th
- HBF Stadium, Mount Claremount
- LCM
- SwimSwam Preview
- Results – Meet Mobile: Hancock Prospecting WA Swimming Championships
The 2020 Western Australia Swimming Championships kicked off today at HBF Stadium, with the likes of heavy hitters Holly Barratt, Brianna Throssell and Kiah Melverton taking to the water in what represents their first pool competition of this Olympic calendar year.
Throssell got off to a quick start, with the 23-year-old West Coast Swimming Club star producing a winning 100m free time of 54.90. Splitting 26.43/28.47, Throssell sliced well over a second off of her morning effort of 56.33 to represent the only finalist to register a time under 55 seconds.
Behind her tonight was Kiah Melverton, the open water swimmer who has been getting things done in the pool as of late. The visiting Queenslander took 400m, 800m and 1500m free silver at the 2019 U.S. Open last December, touching the wall behind icon Katie Ledecky of the United States in each race.
This evening at these Western Aussie Championships, Melverton posted a time fo 56.99 for 100m free silver behind Throssell, a mark which ties her 3rd fastest outing ever. Her quickest to date has been the 56.39 logged just last month at the Queensland Championships.
Of note, 32-year-old stalwart Holly Barratt was also in the race but finished 5th in a time of 58.50. That added almost a second to her 3rd seeded morning swim of 57.63.
Barratt earlier nabbed gold, however, in the 50m fly, her specialty event. The Rockingham dynamo owns the Aussie national record in this sprint fly event with the 25.31 she put up at the 2019 FINA World Cup Series top in Singapore.
This evening, it took Barratt just 26.72 to get her hands on the wall first, with the runner-up, Kate Harrison, 17 years Barratt’s junior, taking silver in 27.79.
On the men’s side of the competition, 19-year-old Ashton Brinkworth got it done for gold in the men’s 100m free, taking the top prize in a time of 50.39, while Ben Roberts of Breakers WA Swim Club found success in the 400m free, topping the podium in a mark of 3:53.71 as the clear winner.
16-year-old Joshua Edwards-Smith had a standout night for himself, taking 2 gold medals after finishing 3rd in the aforementioned 100m free event (51.98).
First, in the 50m back, Edwards-Smith logged a winning effort of 26.72. He owns the Aussie age record in 25.60 from last year.
Edwards-Smith also helped his UWA West Coast squad take gold in the men’s medley relay, leading off in a split of 57.74. He holds the fastest time ever by an Aussie 16-year-old in this 100m back event as well in the 55.01 logged last year.
Kiah did compete a 5000 at worlds but that was a once off . Coaches wanted her to switch believing she did not have the speed but she held her ground & stuck to the pool .& is now worlds top 10 .