Cate Campbell Snags 50 Free Victory To Close Out Aussie Virtuals

2020 SWIMMING AUSTRALIA VIRTUAL C’SHIPS

• Thursday, November 26th – Sunday, November 29th
• Brisbane, Sydney, Hobart, Perth & Melbourne
• SCM (25m)
• Start dates & times vary in each city
• SwimSwam Preview
• Start Lists/Results
• Session 1 Full Results/Session 2 Full Results/Session 3 Full Results

The final results from the 2020 Australian Virtual Short Course Championships have trickled in, although we’re still waiting for all of the splits.

As a reminder, due to the coronavirus pandemic, for the first time in history, the Australian Short Course Swimming Championships are taking place virtually. Contested as 4 sessions of timed finals, the virtual competition spans Brisbane (Chandler), Sydney (Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre), Hobart (Hobart Aquatic Centre), Perth (HBF Stadium) and Melbourne (MSAC subject to COVID restrictions).

Here are the previous recaps:

• Recap #1
• Recap #2

You can also refresh yourself on the multiple records that have come out of the meet:

• Kaylee McKeown‘s 200m back World Record
• Matt Wilson‘s 100m breast Aussie National Record
• Kaylee McKeown‘s 200m IM Aussie National Record
• Lani Pallister‘s 1500m free Aussie National Record
• Sam Short‘s 800m free Aussie Age Record
• Mollie O’Callaghan‘s 100m free Aussie Age Record
• Ariarne Titmus’ 400m free – 6th Fastest Performance All-Time

Now onto the final events, Kaylee McKeown completed her backstroke sweep by clocking a time of 55.68 in the 100m distance. Getting to the wall in the only sub-56 time of the field, McKeown beat out reigning World Record holder Minna Atherton, who settled for silver in 56.36.

For McKeown, her outing here in Brisbane checks-in as a massive new personal best, overwriting her previous career-quickest of 57.11 from the in-person version of this meet 3 years ago. Atherton owns the current WR with the 54.89 she produced at last year’s ISL season.

Mckeown’s time of 55.68 inserts the 19-year-old among the top female performers all-time in slot #8. She would also go on to win the women’s 100m IM here in a time of 59.14.

Rounding out the top 3 in this women’s 100m back event was 16-year-old Mollie O’Callaghan, the versatile St. Peters Western athlete who already notched an age record in the 100m free. O’Callaghan notched a time of 56.76 to land on the virtual podium, with her effort here representing her first venture under 57 seconds. Her previous PB stood as the Aussie Age Record for 16-year-olds at 57.00, a time she produced just this past September at the Queensland Championships.

After taking the men’s 100m breast in a new Australian national record, SOSC’s Matt Wilson was rendered to runner-up in the 200m breast behind winner Zac Stubblety-Cook. Chandler’s Stubblety-Cook snagged the victory in a time of 2:03.94, sneaking ahead of Wilson by just .11.

Stubblety-Cook’s previous PB rested at the 2:04.94 registered in 2018, while Wilson has been as fast as 2:02.89.

In a stacked women’s 50m free final, Cate Campbell roared to the wall first, touching in a mark of 23.68. The time ranks as C1‘s 7th fastest time of her career to get ahead of the likes of Emma McKeon and Madi Wilson.

McKeon, who wreaked havoc already here in the 100m, 200m free and 50m and 100m fly events, touched in 23.87 while Wilson hit 24.18, a new PB by .10. The entire top 8 were relatively close, with teenagers O’Callaghan and Meg Harris in the mix, along with Cate’s sister Bronte Campbell.

O’Callaghan’s 24.40 for 6th place is a new lifetime best and inches her closer to C1‘s Aussie Age Record for 16-year-olds of 23.97 logged in 2008.

Women’s 50m freestyle final ranking from 2020 Australian Virtual Short Course Championships:

Additional Winners:

• St. Peters Western Olympic medalist Mitch Larkin doubled up on golds, taking the 100m back in 50.48 and the 100m IM in 53.26.
• The women’s 200m breast saw just one swimmer get under 2:20 in the form of Bond athlete Jenna Strauch. Strauch beat the field with a winning effort of 2:19.64.
• Noosa’s Nick Sloman sliced .04 off of his own personal best to take gold in the men’s 1500m free, producing a time of 14:42.71.
• Ashton Brinkworth got it done in the men’s 50m free, clocking a time of 21.30 to get to the wall just .07 ahead of Matthew Temple‘s 21.37. Cameron McEvoy was then a fingernail behind in 21.39 for bronze.