2023 QUEENSLAND SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Friday, August 11th – Sunday, August 13th
- Brisbane Aquatic Center
- SCM (25m)
- Results
Chelsea Hodges of Australia made her return to the pool after having missed this year’s significant meets due to surgery.
The 22-year-old Olympic gold medalist was sidelined from the Australian Championships, Australian Trials and World Championships this summer after having undergone surgery to repair torn cartilage in her right hip Seven years ago, Hodges had the same major surgery on her left hip.
“This year hasn’t planned out how I expected but I’ll be coming back stronger than ever,” Hodges said in April.
Now four months later, Hodges was among the competitors at the Queensland Short Course Championships which just concluded tonight from the Brisbane Aquatic Center.
The Southport swimmer contested the 50m and 100m breaststroke events where she topped the podium in each. Hodges clocked 30.73 in the former and 1:06.67 in the latter in her elite domestic meet debut.
For perspective, Hodges owns a lifetime best of 29.84 in the 50m and 1:04.78 in the 100m with both times having been produced last year.
Hodges’ return to the pool is a welcome site for Australian swimming fans who were missing both her and breaststroking teammate Jenna Strauch in Fukuoka.
Both women have played key roles in the Aussies’ medley relays in the past and their absences left Abbey Harkin to fulfill the role this time around.
Harkin split 1:07.07 on the women’s medley relay this summer and, although the Aussies still snagged silver, her outing was well off 1:05.99 performance Strauch put up a year earlier in Budapest and the 1:05.57 Hodges logged in Tokyo at the Olympic Games.
Olivia Wunsch went 52.52 in SC 100 free over the weekend (#2 all time 17 yo behind McKeon).
I’m excited about her freestyle but to be honest I want to see her fly excel. Literally our top 2 100 fliers are gone after Paris.
2025 is Wunsch time. I can feel it.
With so many retiremenst expected after Paris 2025 could be a bit of a down year while the next generation come through and that’s okay.
I disagree about the retirements. McKeon will almost certainly retire after the OGs, but Kyle, although it may be his last Olympics, will probably at least try to defend his WC title (I am ignoring Doha, as most swimmers will). C1 & C2 will retire, and probably Throssell and Wilson, but who else?
Wunsch time. I like it.
I have my eye on Lily Price hopefully improving and getting one of the Paris spots next year
Seems Wunsch has progressed further than her peers this year and these recent SC swims have me excited for her events at the world juniors in a few weeks.
Not to diminish this specific swim it might not count as an official time in the record books as was a mixed race.
Larkin and Incerti returned to the fray as well.
Further woman’s junior breaststroke had some positive signs with a number of records broken. Probably too soon for Paris but hopefully a plugging of the gap in a few years time.
It’s quite interesting how there wasn’t much happening in girls breaststroke for years and suddenly there’s quite a few girls rearranging the age rankings.
I think Australia needs to put focus on improving sprint breastroke if theyre going to contend in medley relays – men and women both!! Australia is even get left behind by China at this rate
Good to see Chelsea back! I think Fukuoka showed she’s a vital cog in the relay. Hopefully she can get back to her Tokyo form (or better!?)
1 year build – she will be keen and not over cooked from this year
Yep, she should just use the platelet-rich plasma, the fav of Australia’s finest swim physios, and she’ll be as good as new and ready to go!!