Australia Leaves Medal-Worthy Relay on the Bench, Misses Finals of Mixed 200 Medley

2022 FINA SHORT COURSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Australia, one of two world swimming superpowers, missed the final of the mixed 200 medley relay on Wednesday morning at the World Short Course Swimming Championships. That caused a shock among television commenters and home-nation spectators in Melbourne, where the expectation is that Australia is good enough to at least final, if not contend for medals, in every relay, every time.

And while Australia likely had a medal-candidate mixed medley relay on their roster this year, they didn’t have a deep enough bench to use their “B” lineup and still qualify into the top 8.

The relay exchanges were pretty good – all around two-tenths of a second. The table below presumes about a four-tenths improvement over flat start for relay splits on the theoretical finals relays.

Australian relay potential, mixed 200 medley relay:

Australia’s Actual Prelims Relay Australia’s Theoretical Finals Relay
Back Bradley Woodward – 23.87 (M) Kaylee McKeown – 26.32 (F)
Breast Grayson Bell – 26.17 (M) Sam Williamson – 25.82 (M)
Fly Alexandria Perkins – 25.51 (F) Emma McKeon – 24.54 (F)
Free Meg Harris – 23.86 (F) Kyle Chalmers – 20.28 (M)
Total Time 1:39.41 1:36.96

Australia ultimately missed the final by four-tenths of a second behind 8th-place Canada and 7th-place China. What makes that really really hurt is that they left their best male sprint backstroker at the meet, Isaac Cooper, off the prelims relay. Cooper’s best time is 23.31 in the 50 backstroke, which if matched, would have put Australia through to the final. Cooper is only 18 and is on an upward trajectory in his career generally, aside from being sent home from the Commonwealth Games for misusing prescription medicine.

That would have left Australia with a finals relay that includes three of their biggest stars, who are all swimming very well so far at the meet, in front of a home crowd. A 1:36.96 would’ve placed 2nd at last year’s championships behind the Dutch, a relay that isn’t nearly as good this year.

It sounds like a perfect scenario for Australia to go after the prelims relay and chase a medal in the evening, but history shows us that this miss isn’t really a surprise.

Australia has only made the final in this event once in the six occasions when it has been offered at the World Short Course Swimming Championships. That came in 2018, where they did use their stars in prelims to qualify 3rd. Mitch Larkin, Grayson Bell, Holly Barratt, and Emily Seebohm swam 1:38.71 in prelims and then 1:38.69 in finals, sliding to 7th place.

They didn’t swim the race in the other four years it was offered, generally eschewing the event as a novelty but not a serious race worthy of focus.

But it’s unclear if that was the case this year – or if it should have been – with the pressure of a home audience to win as many medals as possible (remember that Swimming Australia is funded with taxpayer dollars). We don’t know what their finals lineup would have been and if it would have been the “best” lineup as listed above.

But what we do know is that the wrong lineup in prelims probably cost them a medal. We’ve seen it before – notably at the 2015 World Championships where both the US and Australia missed the final, and Australia missed automatic relay qualification – and it’s not the end of the world. But it is going to be a thing that people remember from this meet, and that’s too bad, because the team is, overall, swimming very well.

 

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Tracy Kosinski
1 year ago

I missed a good prelims. WOW!

turboturtle
1 year ago

Australia, one of two world swimming superpowers. LOL

Hooked on Chlorine
Reply to  turboturtle
1 year ago

Where would Swimswam be without such incisive commentary as the above? And I would like to personally thank the commenter for posting the exact same comments thrice just in case any of us missed the first two.

turboturtle
1 year ago

Australia, one of two world swimming superpowers. LOL

turboturtle
Reply to  Braden Keith
1 year ago

Yes

turboturtle
Reply to  Braden Keith
1 year ago

Well Hungary has 28 Olympic Golds to Australia’s 69. Japan has 24 to the Aussies 69. The US has 257. So a bit insulting to not include those great countries.

Last edited 1 year ago by turboturtle
turboturtle
Reply to  Braden Keith
1 year ago

I mean if we’re going to go there than having less than half the medals wouldn’t put you near superpower…

Last edited 1 year ago by turboturtle
commonwombat
Reply to  Braden Keith
1 year ago

There IS one only swimming superpower …. and that is USA. And even a superpower cannot always cover off every event perfectly.

AUS has only ever, periodically, been any real rival to the USA and even then this has mostly been through the aid of a wide view lens. Outside the late 50s- 60s and off/on since 2000, AUS has really only been a strong second level team; always producing some top level talent but rarely strength in depth across one gender let alone both.

In all honesty, its probably been relays that have given any substance to such claims and its only been since the 90s that AUS has actually given relays any consistent emphasis with real “buy-in”… Read more »

turboturtle
Reply to  commonwombat
1 year ago

Fair points all around! Calling the USA men a second division outfit will likely have the Aussies Olympic medal output in 2024 look paltry to them – as they always do.

commonwombat
Reply to  turboturtle
1 year ago

I’ll leave that to you to hit the US men with that label !! LOL

It does however fit the AUS men who I’d rate behind the ITA & GBR men. Where is the proven quality beyond Chalmers who carries at least one relay, ZSC (a one event man) and Winnington ? Cases may be made for 2-3 more but otherwise its not exactly stellar.

turboturtle
1 year ago

Australia, one of two world swimming superpowers. LOL

Troyy
1 year ago

Cooper was faster in the first 50 of his 100 back heat swim than Woodward leading of this relay.

Piss Pooler
1 year ago

No one really values mixed relays.

Weinstein-Smith-Ledecky-Sims
Reply to  Piss Pooler
1 year ago

Only the Aussies!

Yikes
Reply to  Weinstein-Smith-Ledecky-Sims
1 year ago

Mmmm pretty sure that was our take in America after what happened in Tokyo. Come on, be fair.

Troyy
Reply to  Piss Pooler
1 year ago

I don’t think this was a case of them not valuing the mixed relay but rather just a stu-pid f*ckup.

Verram
Reply to  Troyy
1 year ago

i think they were wanting to give Woodward, Perkins and Bell a medal to take home, to motivate them for Paris…

Katie
Reply to  Piss Pooler
1 year ago

I love the mixed relays so much that I’m willing to stick up for them knowing it will bring downvotes. They’re so much fun to watch.

Verram
1 year ago

one of the tragic events – home crowd not having a home team to cheer on in the first event tonight

Walter
Reply to  Verram
1 year ago

Tragic? A bit of a hyperbole here? No one has died.

Verram
Reply to  Walter
1 year ago

yes thats why swimswam created a separate article on it..

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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