QLD C’ships: Larkin 52.75 100 Back; Graham & Winnington 1:45 In 200 Free

2020 QUEENSLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS

The first day of individual events at these 2020 Queensland Championships was a big one, with the likes of Kaylee McKeown, Mitch Larkin, Ariarne Titmus and more in the Brisbane Aquatic Center pool.

Shaking off the racing cobwebs for some, while continuing their long course season for others, these championships represent a chance for Aussie swimmers to gauge where they’re at among the world’s best who are also gunning for confidence-boosting performances heading into the final Olympic preparation stretch.

We reported how 16-year-old McKeown put on a show of her own, ripping the world’s 2nd fastest 100m back performance of all-time with her monster 57.93. Additionally, she stuck around to threw down a massive 4:32.73 in the women’s 400m IM to become her nation’s 2nd fastest performer. You can read about both of those remarkable performances here.

In the men’s 100m back, it was 2015 two-time world champion Mitch Larkin who wound up on top, doing so with a statement swim of 52.75.

After notching a casual morning swim of 55.12, Larkin split 25.50/27.25 to post a time .02 faster than the 52.77 the Aussie produced for bronze at last year’s World Championships in Gwangju, Korea.

27-year-old St. Peters Western swimmer Larkin owns the Aussie national record in the 52.11 he crushed en route to taking both the 100m and 200m backstroke world titles in Kazan in 2015. For now, Larkin’s 52.75 registers as just the 2nd sub-53 second outing in the world this season, sitting behind Chinese swimmer Xu Jiayu’s 52.37.

2020-2021 LCM Men 100 Back

EvgenyRUS
Rylov
07/27
51.98
2Kliment
Kolesnikov
RUS52.0007/27
3Ryan
Murphy
USA52.1907/27
4Thomas
Ceccon
ITA52.3007/27
5Xu
Jiayu
CHN52.3503/07
View Top 27»

Making noise in the women’s 200m free was 20-year-old Ariarne Titmus. The woman who owns the Aussie national record in 1:54.27 came into the wall tonight in 1:55.93 to snag the meet title by well over a second.

For a reward, Titmus not only snags gold here but she enters the world rankings as the #1 swimmer for the season, owning the only sub-1:56 outing. Leah Neale snagged silver in 1:57.33, while 18-year-old Lani Pallister rounded out the top 3 tonight in 1:58.33, a near-personal best.

2020-2021 LCM Women 200 Free

AriarneAUS
Titmus
06/14
1:53.09
2Siobhan
Haughey
HKG1:53.9207/28
3Yang
Junxuan
CHN1:54.3707/29
4Katie
Ledecky
USA1:54.4004/09
5Penny
Oleksiak
CAN1:54.7007/28
View Top 26»

The men’s 200m free was a much closer affair, with the top two finishers separated by just .10. Getting there first was 25-year-old Alexander Graham, with the man stopping the clock in a mighty 1:45.69. Just a hair behind was SPW standout Elijah Winnington who posted 1:45.79 as the runner-up.

For Graham, the Bond athlete opened in 51.56 and brought it home in 54.13 to produce his first-ever sub-1:46 result. Entering these Queensland Championships, Graham’s lifetime best rested at the 1:46.14 he logged at last year’s World Championships Trials.

As for Winnington, the former World Junior Record holder in this event settled for runner-up status in 1:45.79. This, too, represents the man’s first venture under the 1:46 barrier, with his outing tonight overtaking his previous PB of 1:46.13 from 2 years ago. That mark stood as the WJR until Korea’s Hwang Sun Woo took over with a phenomenal 1:45.92 earlier this season at just 17 years of age.

The duo of Graham and Winnington now rank as the top 2 swimmers in the world this season.

2020-2021 LCM Men 200 Free

TomGBR
Dean
07/27
1:44.22
2Duncan
Scott
GBR1:44.2607/27
3Hwang
Sunwoo
KOR1:44.6207/25
4Katsuo
Matsumoto
JPN1:44.6504/05
5Fernando
Scheffer
BRA1:44.6607/27
View Top 26»

Of note, World Championships finalist Clyde Lewis placed 4th in 1:47.99 behind bronze medalist Jack McLoughlin‘s 1:47.42. Rackley teen Thomas Neill was also in the mix, placing 8th in 1:49.15, while Olympic silver medalist in this 2free, Mack Horton was last in 1:51.83.

Zac Stubblety-Cook proved his 2:07.28 200m breast from last year was no fluke, with the 21-year-old getting within range again this year. The 21-year-old Chandler athlete broke through for gold with a big-time 2:07.96.

This marks his 5th fastest time ever and further inserts his name into the growing list of would-be Olympic medal contenders for Tokyo next year.

Behind Arno Kamminga’s world-leading 2:06.85, Stubblety-Cook adds himself to the list of 6 men with 2:07’s so far this season.

2020-2021 LCM Men 200 Breast

2Shoma
Sato
JPN2:06.4004/07
3Arno
Kamminga
NED2:06.8512/04
4Anton
Chupkov
RUS2:06.9905/20
5Ippei
Watanabe
JPN2:07.0812/06
6Matti
Mattsson
FIN2:07.1307/19
7Nic
Fink
USA2:07.5506/17
8Ryuya
Mura
JPN2:07.5804/07
9Erik
Persson
SWE2:07.6605/20
10Kirill
Prigoda
RUS2:07.8510/03
View Top 26»

The women’s 200m breast saw 23-year-old Bond swimmer Jenna Strauch reach the wall first in 2:24.85, while Mollie O’Callaghan clocked a new lifetime best of 54.25 to take the 100m free event for 16-year-old women.

In This Story

29
Leave a Reply

Subscribe
Notify of

29 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Troyy
3 years ago

100 free:

McKeon 52.46
O’Callaghan 53.93 (first time sub 54)
Harris 54.22 (pb)
McKeown 54.33 (huge pb)

McKeown could probably do a nice 200 free right now.

Troyy
Reply to  Troyy
3 years ago

That’s an age record for O’Callaghan.

Robbos
Reply to  Troyy
3 years ago

Awesome swims by McKeon & O’Callaghan.

Robbos
Reply to  Troyy
3 years ago

McKeown could sneak into the 4×200 free team & that would give her a chance for 6 medals in Tokyo, the 2 backstrokes, both the IMs & the 2 relays.

Last edited 3 years ago by Robbos
Troyy
Reply to  Robbos
3 years ago

If she swam the heats of the mixed medley relay that’d be another relay medal chance.

Troyy
3 years ago

Great 400s from Winnington (3:43.90) and McLoughlin (3:44.24).

Majer99
3 years ago

Flynn Southam, at 15, has just snuck under Kyle Chalmers 100m free age record 49.65 (24.51/25.14) vs 49.68

Robbos
Reply to  Majer99
3 years ago

Would’ve got 6th spot in the Opens final a hour later.

Troyy
Reply to  Robbos
3 years ago

It’d be the second fastest back half split in the open final. Wtf.

Last edited 3 years ago by Troyy
Troyy
3 years ago

Flynn Southam just broke Chalmers 15 yo 100 free age record: 49.65 !

Troyy
3 years ago

Titmus didn’t swim the 400 free this morning.

Troyy
Reply to  Troyy
3 years ago

Nor the 100 free. Maybe she pulled out of the meet? I hope someone has more info.

Aussieone
Reply to  Troyy
3 years ago

Sick apparently

Sqimgod
3 years ago

Australia looks to win 4×200 with these 2 guys, chalmers and clyde

Sam
Reply to  Sqimgod
3 years ago

They are always close to favorite but never seem to close the deal somehow

Gheko
Reply to  Sam
3 years ago

Lol

Aussieone
Reply to  Sam
3 years ago

2000

Robbos
Reply to  Sam
3 years ago

I think you will find they won the last world championship in 2019.

Troyy
Reply to  Sqimgod
3 years ago

Horton had the fastest leg at Gwangju so someone fast is gonna miss out.

swimfan_00
3 years ago

The aussies are on FIRE

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  swimfan_00
3 years ago

They always are until it really counts.

swimfan_00
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
3 years ago

True xD

Robbos
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
3 years ago

Horton, Chalmers says otherwise.

Aussieone
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
3 years ago

Well Winnington and Graham and Lewis have really improved in the 200 free in the last few years .so there is that .

justhereforfun
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
3 years ago

Actually, how did we arbitrarily decide that the Olympics are what ‘really counts’? Olympic prize money isn’t sustainable given it’s only once every 4 years (except for maybe Singapore’s), and with swimming gaining popularity and coverage beyond the olympics like ISL, are the Olympics where it really counts?

Of course, the Olympics will always be special, but I’m just sayin, there should be much more to swimming than an event held once every 4 years

Nono
3 years ago

Excited to see Men’s 200 free at next year’s trial! Around 5-6 guys are capable of meeting the qualifying time. I hope they can back up their 4×200 performance from last year. That was the race of the meet for me!

Last edited 3 years ago by Nono
Torchbearer
Reply to  Nono
3 years ago

I havent been able to find that relay online to watch…??

Nono
Reply to  Torchbearer
3 years ago
Torchbearer
Reply to  Nono
3 years ago

Thanks….early Xmas present!

About Retta Race

Former Masters swimmer and coach Loretta (Retta) thrives on a non-stop but productive schedule. Nowadays, that includes having earned her MBA while working full-time in IT while owning French 75 Boutique while also providing swimming insight for BBC.

Read More »