The Australian Summer Swim Series kicked off yesterday at the North Sydney Aquatic Club. This meet has a bit of a different format than we’re used to in the United States, with lots of 4-person and head-to-head racing, but it sure makes for a lot of buzz and excitement.
Among the most anticipated swims was that of Libby Trickett, who was in her first action back after a 9-month retirement. She swam multiple 59’s in the 100 free, though didn’t yet try her hand at any butterfly. In the women’s individual 100 free, she took second in 59.31. This placed her behind Kelly Stubbins (58.16), but ahead of young phenom Emily Seebohm who was the fastest 100 freestyler in the nation in 2010. This is a very positive result for Trickett, who is coming off of a grueling three-weeks of altitude training in Mexico.
Joining Trickett’s training group in Mexico was freestyler Eamon Sullivan, who is a former World Record holder in both the 50 and 100 meter distances. Unfortunately, the results of that training won’t be as positive for him. While working on a diving drill in an unfamiliar pool, Sullivan bottomed out and experienced an intense pain in his foot. Initial X-Rays done in Mexico didn’t reveal any bone damage, so he pushed through the pain for two additional weeks of training. Upon his return to Australia, a reexamination revealed a fracture in his ankle. Sullivan didn’t get that news until checking his voicemail after he had swum two races, including a 55.0 100 freestyle. His team captain, retired superstar Michael Klim, stepped in for him in the individual 50 freestyle and clocked a 24.62. He was well behind the winner, Ashley Callus in 23.42, but this was none-the-less an impressive feat for the 33-year old.
Injuries have been the bug that have repeatedly prevented Sullivan from the well-deserved opportunity at summer glory, as this is the third-consecutive year in which he has suffered a bad injury in January. Two weeks of fighting through the pain leaves him confident, however, that he will be in top form for Australia’s World Championship trials in April. (Full Story from the Herald Sun.)
Besides Trickett, another swimmer on the comeback trail is Beijing IM queen Stephanie Rice. While this is not her first meet back from shoulder surgery in early September, it is an important benchmark for recovery. In the women’s 200 IM, she finished second in 2:20.49, which is a pretty decent time. The winner of that race was the aforementioned Seebohm, who has extended her backstroke prowess into the medley over the past 12-months. Assuming Rice’s comeback stay on track, this will be one of the marquee battles at trials.
Expectations of times at this meet have to be tempered with an eye towards the Australian training cycle. When compared to other major meets this season, like the Austin Grand Prix in the United States, the Australian swimmers are at a much different spot in their training as their first focus is their World Championship Trials in April. American swimmers are instead focused entirely towards Shanghai in July, as their roster was selected based on last summer’s National and Pan-Pacific Championship meets.
Full, Live Results are available here for both days.
The meet was not all serious racing, however. It also featured the “Celebrity” 4×100 mixed freestyle relay, with four squads anchored by team captains Klim, Matt Walsh, Susie O’Neill, and Linley Frame. Of the four ex-swimmers, Klim had the swiftest mark of 58.48, though the 1:01.69 from butterfly ace O’Neill was most impressive. They were joined by famous Australians, both wet and dry, that range from actors and rugby players to triathletes and professional lifeguards. Amongst these celebrities, the best time was a 55.93 from professional lifeguard Dean Gladstone, who is one of the stars of the reality TV show Bondi Rescue. Actor Ryan Clark, who is known in the US as co-star of an Olsen sisters movie, showed some impressive athleticism to swim a 1:01.30 for Frame’s Pink Team.
In the end, the winner, was Klim and his green squad touched first for bragging rights in 3:57.56
