Chalmers Hits 3rd Fastest 200 Free Of Career, McKeown With 58.8 100 Back

NEW SOUTH WALES STATE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Friday, March 13th – Sunday, March 15th
• Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Center (SOPAC)
• 50m (LCM)
• SwimSwam Meet Preview
• Start Lists
• Day 1 Recap
• Live Results

Swimming is still going on strong down under, as we saw day 2 action of the 2020 New South Wales State Open Championships. Kyle Chalmers, Emma McKeon, and Kaylee McKeown were among the elite performers who brought the heat during day 1 and the trio, plus more, were back in action today at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Center (SOPAC).

For 25-year-old Olympian McKeon, we reported how she nailed a new Aussie All Comers Record in the women’s 100m fly to take tonight’s gold in that event. Hitting the wall in 56.36, McKeon logged the 3rd fastest time of her career, overtaking legendary Dutch Olympian Inge de Bruijn’s All Comers Record from 2000 in the process. You can read more about McKeon’s world rankings topper here.

Later in tonight’s session, McKeon dueled with Cate Campbell, yesterday’s 100m freestyler who was initially DQ’d but reinstated for silver in that event behind McKeon.

Tonight it was C1 who got the upper hand in the women’s 50m free event, with the Olympian clocking 24.19 to McKeon’s 24.29. The pair were neck-and-neck, as well as separated a bit from the rest of the field, which saw Marion’s Madi Wilson clinch bronze in 24.74.

C1’s effort there checks-in as her 2nd fastest of the season, sitting only behind the 24.02 scorcher she put up last August on the FINA World Cup circuit in Singapore.

As for McKeon, tonight’s result earned her the 2nd fastest time of her career. She owns a personal best of 24.25 in this event from last year’s World Championships Trials, so this output here is a strong indicator of the kind of fitness this woman is at months out from the still-scheduled Olympic Games.

Rounding out the top 3 was Wilson, who was a backstroke finalist in Rio, but has been making major strides in the freestyle set since. She was a member of the prelims 4x100m freestyle relay in Gwangju, helping put the green and gold in position to eventually take world Championships gold there in that event.

More than that, however, Wilson can call herself a World Record holder as a member of Australia’s record-setting 4x200m freestyle relay at that same meet.

Tonight, Wilson was impressive yet again, dropping under the 25-second barrier in this women’s 50m free for the first time in her career. Entering this meet, Wilson’s PB was represented by the 25.06 she posted at the FINA World Cup in Tokyo just last August.

The men’s 200m free was a thrilling display of versatility by 21-year-old Marion swimmer Kyle Chalmers. The 2016 Olympic champion in the men’s 100m freestyle already won that event yesterday in a quick 48.28 and doubled up with a gold in the 200m fly. In the latter event, he powered his way to a huge new PB, by almost 2 seconds, hitting 1:57.35

Chalmers collected his 3rd individual gold of these NSW Championships by taking the men’s 200m freestyle, where the lizard king topped the field by almost a full second.

After laying low with a prelim effort of 1:49.64, Chalmers broke through with splits of 52.33/54.78 to clinch the meet title in a speedy 1:46.12.

He took Commonwealth Games gold in 1:45.56 while he notched 1:45.76 in the Trials meet last year. As such, tonight’s 1:46.12 is his 3rd fastest ever and the man ranks just outside the top 5 performers in the world this season.

Behind Chalmers was Alex Graham of Bond who put up a tie of 1:47.11, while his teammate, 19-year-old Elijah Winnington, rounded out the top 3 in 1:47.55. Winnington is the current World Junior Record holder in this event with the 1:46.14 he logged at the 2018 Queensland Championships.

Winnington wound up taking the men’s 800m free gold tonight in a time of 8:01.66, narrowly defeating visiting Indian swimmer Kushagra Rawat. Rawat touched just .05 later in 8:01.71 for silver.

Following up on her big-time 2:06.38 200m backstroke performance from last night, 18-year-old USC Spartan athlete Kaylee McKeown busted out a huge 58.84 to take the women’s 100m backstroke on night 2.

She established herself as the one to beat with her morning swim of 1:00.44 to land lane 4 before splitting 29.04/29.80 to rock the only sub-59 second time of the field. Behind her was Olympic icon Emily Seebohm, who notched a sub-minute performance of 59.77, while short course World Record holder Minna Atherton produced 59.90 for bronze.

McKeown’s effort tonight represents just her 2nd outing into the 58-zone, led by her personal best of 58.52 posted at this year’s South Australian Championships. That time ranks her #2 in the world this season, sitting only behind American Regan Smith, who rocked a 58.18 earlier this month.

Southport Olympics’ Tristan Hollard registered the fastest time of his career tonight in the men’s 200m backstroke. He took the gold here in 1:56.98, getting under 1:57 for the first time ever.

The 23-year-old’s previous personal best was symbolized by the 1:57.17 posted at last year’s Australian National Championships. However, via splits of 57.76/59.22, Hollard scored a time of 1:56.98 to hold off Bradley Woodward, who touched in 1:57.45 for silver.

Hollard’s outing tonight checks him in as the 8th fastest performer in the world this season.

Additional Winners:

• TSS Aquatic’s Kiah Melverton won the women’s 400m freestyle by almost 3 seconds, posting her 2nd fastest time of the season in 4:09.23. She is ranked #4 in the world right now with the 4:06.71 posted at the FINA World Cup in Tokyo last August.
• 23-year-old Edward Marks got it done for gold in the men’s 50m fly, clocking 24.27 for the win.
• World Championships medalist in the 200m breast, Matt Wilson, produced a time of 1:00.39 to take 100m breast gold here in Sydney tonight.
• Bond swimmer Jenna Strauch took the women’s 200m breast in 2:25.97, doubling up on her 100m breast victory from last night. Strauch’s effort here represents the 4th fastest time of her career.
• The men’s 200m IM saw Se-Bom Lee snag gold in 2:02.20, knocking exactly a second off of his morning heat result.