2018 AUSTRALIAN SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Thursday, October 25th – Saturday, October 27th
- Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre
- Heats at 10am local (9:30am Sat.)/Finals at 6:30pm local (4:30pm Sat.)
- SCM
- Qualifying meet for 2018 Short Course World Championships squad
- Aussie SC World C’ships Selection Criteria
- SwimSwam Meet Preview
- Entry List
- Day 1 Prelims Recap/Day 1 Finals Recap
- Day 2 Prelims Recap/Day 2 Finals Recap
- Live Results
- Live Stream
Despite holding the Commonwealth Games silver medal in the 200m freestyle event, 22-year-old Mack Horton was notably absent from tonight’s final of the sprint race, leaving the gold to 19-year-old Kyle Chalmers.
But not only did Horton not make the top 10 for tonight’s final, the Melbourne Vicentre star finished in 30th…out of just 38 competitors in all. His race looked shaky from the get-go, opening in a sluggish (by his standards) 52.20 and closing in an almost-alarming 58.14 for a total time of 1:50.34. Compare that to winner Chalmers, whose splits included 50.63 for an opener, followed by 53.13 to top the podium in an overall mark of 1:43.76.
Thomas Fraser-Holmes, who finished 9th overall in 1:45.86, managed splits of 51.29/54.57 just as another point of comparison.
Even if Horton was going for a 100m free split, which is very unlikely given his being a mid-distance guy, his 52.20 opener was nowhere near a ‘time trial’-type result.
Horton holds a SCM 200 free personal best of 1:48.14 from 2 years ago, but has become Olympic champion and Commonwealth Games silver medalist in the event since then. He competed on night 1 here in Melbourne as a member of the men’s 400m free final, where Horton finished 4th in 3:45.56.
SwimSwam has reached out to Swimming Australia for more details on Horton’s condition, just to rule out injury or illness.
Seeing as he went 1:43 a few weeks ago at the world cups I think he is fine
Maybe he was not preparing for world scm & is otherwise engaged e.g. university exams / final assignments are on in late October.
Wasn’t Chalmers 1:43?
Yes, you’re right, I had his prelims time in there. Thanks!
Loretta, I realise that you aren’t reporting on the para competition, but someone should be. The blatant cheating by swimmers claiming Cerebral Palsy is beyond disgusting. Lakeisha Patterson and Paige Leonhardt are by far the worst offenders in my opinion and, all the relevant authorities know about the available evidence .. still Patterson, Leonhardt medal, still they rank internationally, still they receive tax payer funding. Why is that?
I guess it’s no better better that the female trans athletes winning medals…But that’s a debate for another place
‘ I don’t like your documents ‘.
Mack Horton is a commonwealth games silver medalist in the 200 free, not olympic. Still bizzare that he performed so poorly here given that his best LCM time is 1:45.89, faster than his best SCM time.
Agreed.
Wait for the twist, when it turns out Mack’s been training in Austin and he’s actually faster than Townley right now.
Piano got both of them.