The Australian team picked up six gold medals in the pool on the first night of the Oceania Championships in Suva, Fiji. The first win of the evening went to 20 year old Cameron Jones who posted a 24.27 in the men’s 50 butterfly to finish ahead of 34 year old Ryan Pini of Papa New Guinea who hit the wall in a time of 24.45.
Jake Kersten picked up the nation’s second victory in the men’s 200 freestyle recording a time of 1:51.45 while Acacia Wildin-Sneeden won the women’s event coming from behind in the final 50 meters hitting the wall in a time of 2:02.37.
Zac Incerti won the men’s 100 backstroke in a time of 54.94 missing Robert Hurley‘s Oceania Championship record of 54.91 by three one-hundredths of a second. Hurley holds the Oceania Championship records in the 200 and 400 freestyle as well as the 50, 100 and 200 backstroke.
Alice Stuart collected Australia’s final individual gold in the women’s 200 butterfly touching in a time of 2:10.65.
The Australian were also victorious in the mixed 200 freestyle relay setting a new Oceania Championship record of 1:37.17. beating out the 2014 Australian team that posted a 1:37.40.
The only other championship record broken on the first day of competition was the mixed 400 medley relay. New Zealand took the event in a time of 3:54.39 beating the record of 3:55.46 set by the 2014 squad from the same country.
The Kiwi’s also had a very productive evening winning three individual golds. Helena Gasson won the women’s 50 butterfly in a time of 27.14 while Wilrich Coetzee took the men’s 200 butterfly in a time of 2:00.44.
Gabrielle Fa’amausili, who won the 50 backstroke at the 2015 World Junior Championships, dominated the field in the women’s 100 backstroke posting a time of 1:02.38 finishing over three seconds ahead of the field.
Full results can be found here.
