Atherton Snags Multi-Golds While Dekkers Impresses In 200 Fly Once Again

2020 VORGEE BRISBANE SHORT COURSE

• Friday, September 11th – Sunday, September 13th
• Brisbane Aquatic Centre, QLD, AUS
• SCM (25m)
• Results: Meet Mobile

In addition to 16-year-old Sam Short‘s stunning performances among his age group in the freestyle events, this past weekend’s Vorgee Brisbane Short Course meet also saw the likes of world record holder Minna Atherton, open water national champion Chelsea Gubecka and Northwestern University’s Calypso Sheridan get some swims in.

Now representing Moreton Bay Colleges, having moved with former Brisbane coach David Lush, Atherton did damage across multiple events here in Brisbane.

The 20-year-old clocked a winning time of 56.69 in the 100m back and 27.03 in the 50m back, while completing the discipline’s trifecta with a 200m back outing of 2:05.04. She also collected silver behind Rackley’s Carla Buchanan in the women’s 200m free, with Atherton notching 1:58.56 to Buchanan’s gold medal-worthy 1:58.37.

Atherton owns the short course meters 100 backstroke world record via the 54.89 she produced as a member of London Roar during the Interiaontal Swimming League’s (ISL) season 1.

For 22-year-old Gubecka, she topped the women’s 100m IM in 1:01.49, comfortably ahead of Atherton’s 1:02.87. Gubecka also snagged silver in the 400m IM, notching 4:43.47 behind Sheridan’s winning 4:41.76.

Sheridan also topped the women’s 200m breast field in 2:24.41, a time representing the 2nd fastest of the 21-year-old’s career.

Also making waves over the weekend was Newmarket’s Elizabeth Dekkers, a rising 200m flyer who has been making a name for herself in this pet event. Entering this meet, the 16-year-old’s lifetime best rested at the 2:09.94 logged at this same meet last year.

She followed that up with a monster long course time of 2:08.51, a mark that left the teen just outside the top 10 Aussie all-time performers’ list, all ages.

Here in Brisbane, Dekkers touched in a 2fly time of 2:09.88 to take the victory, slicing .06 off of her aforementioned short course PB from 2019. Her time checks her in as follows among the fastest Aussie women ever at 16 years of age in slot #9.

Girls 16 Years 200 Metres Butterfly (SCM) – Top 10 Aussies  

1. 2:07.07 Samantha Hamill Quad Park Melbourne Australian SC 29.08.07
2. 2:08.56 Brooke Napper All Saints Brisbane QLD SC 17.08.18
3. 2:08.71 Gemma Cooney Brisbane Grammar Brisbane Australian SC 03.11.16
4. 2:08.94 Laura Taylor TSS Aquatic Sydney Australian SC 25.11.15
5. 2:09.08 Brianna Throssell City of Perth Istanbul FINA World SC 12.12.12
6. 2:09.37 Amy Smith River City Hobart Australian SC 25.08.06
7. 2:09.77 Felicity Galvez Wilkinson Perth Australian SC 03.08.01
8. 2:09.79 Brittany Castelluzzo Tea Tree Gully Adelaide Australian SC 26.10.17
9. 2:09.88 Elizabeth Dekkers 2:09.88 2020
10. 2:10.14 Jessicah Schipper Redcliffe LL Melbourne FINA World Cup 06.12.02