2024 GPS SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS (AUS)
- Friday, March 1st
- Brisbane Aquatic Centre
- LCM (50m)
- Results
The 101st edition of the Great Public Schools Association of Queensland (GPS) Swimming Championships took place yesterday at Brisbane Aquatic Center.
Athletes from nine schools took to the pool in both junior (10-12 yrs old) and senior (13-yrs-old-open) categories, with Brisbane Grammar racing its way to the overall team trophy. St. Joseph’s Nudgee College earned runner-up status while St. Joseph’s College/Gregory Terrace captured the third spot in the team standings.
Stealing the spotlight in the senior boys’ 50m freestyle final was 16-year-old Joshua Conias of Brisbane State High School.
The teen rocked a near-lifetime best of 22.79 to handily defeat the field, with the next-closest swimmer represented by Brisbane Boys’ College’s Charlie Russell who touched in 23.70.
As for Conias, his time crushed the previous competition record of 23.32 Bryce Belcher (BBC) put on the books at the 2021 edition of these championships. His lifetime best remains at the 22.70 logged at December’s Queensland Championships.
Conias also topped the boys’ open 100m freestyle race in a time of 51.52 (25.18/26.34) to check in with the 2nd swiftest time of his young career. His personal best is represented by the 50.29 also turned in at the Queensland Championships.
As a member of his squad’s 6x50m free relay, Conais anchored in a blistering 22.07, far and away the fastest of the field.
Of note, on the club side of things, Conias trains at Somerville House Aquatics under coach Tim Lane. This is the same training base as 2023 World Championships gold medalist Cameron McEvoy who recently earned silver in the 50m free in Doha.
Another meet record bit the dust in the 100m butterfly, as Ike Martinez of Gregory Terrace registered a winning effort of 55.16. Opening in 26.13 and closing in 29.03, Martinez overwrote the previous meet standard of 55.34 Harrison Turner established in 2021.
Finally, the boys from Brisbane Grammar School clocked a new meet record in the 16&U 4x50m medley relay.
Thomas Garbanzo (28.38), Max Gao (30.57), Declan Simpkins (26.29) and Cashy Luo (24.36) combined to produce a gold medal-worthy 1:49.60. That result sliced over half a second off of the prior competition standard of 1:50.16 BHBS posted in 2019.
https://gpsqld.org.au/gps-live-streaming
Jaclyn Barclay at another school meet this week swam 1:00 high for the 100 back.
Also Sienna Toohey had another go at the ACT meet for Australian Age record for 14 yr 100 breast just missing again with a 1:08.5
I don’t think it would’ve counted if Sienna broke it at a qualifying meet.
It absolutely would have.
Well swims at qualifying meets don’t count for age ranking but maybe they’d go to more effort to ratify an age record.
“Club meets, school meets, development meets, time-trial meets, qualifying meets, and all other non-championship meets shall not be included in the Australian Rankings.”
https://swimmingausprd.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/Swimming-Australia-Rankings-Policy.pdf
It’s at the AIS, with fully electronic timing.
There would have been no issue with ratification.
The national rankings they choose to rank championship meet performances. Again has nothing to with ratification.