Chalmers Marks 23.1 to Win 14-Year Olds 50 Free at Australian Age Championships

In a meet full of stars, 14-year old Kyle Chalmers is standing out even above the crowded list of record breakers at the 2013 Georgina Hope Foundation Australian Age Championships.

After setting National Age Records in the 100 free and 100 fly earlier in the meet, on Thursday Chalmers added to his list the 14-year olds mark in the 50 free, where he swam a 23.18. That’s a long course meters swim folks (though even in short course meters it would be incredibly fast for a swimmer this age), and it knocks three-tenths off of the old record of 23.46 set by Te Haumi Maxwell in 2009.

All-told, through Thursday, Chalmers now has 7 different long course National Age Records in Australia.

Alexander Graham, another swimmer in that growing group of legends being made at this meet, won the boys’ 17-18 100 fly in 53.52.That’s his third win of the meet in four races, with just the 100 free to go.

In the girls’ equivalent of that same event, Olympian Yolane Kukla swam a 59.16 to win over Christina Licciardi, who was a 59.37. For Licciardi, that’s her first time into the ranks of the sub-minute swimmers. For Kukla, this meet is likely just a warmup for the bigger National Championships upcoming that will determine her fate for the World Championship team. She’s looked strong, but not overwhelming, throughout the meet.

The girls’ 16-year olds 200 freestyle saw Ami Matsuo put up the best swim of the day from the ladies when she swam a 1:58.22. Chelsea Gillett was 2nd in 1:59.92. Even with Leah Neale swimming an impressive time to win the 17-18 event earlier in the meet, Matsuo will emerge with the fastest overall time in the 200 free from the week; further, with two swimmers under two minutes in the final, that’s more than the older race had.

Mack Horton won the boys’ 16 year olds 200 free in 1:51.94.

Full, live meet results available here.

Other Notable Winners:

• Jenna Strauch continued to have a great meet by winning the 200 breaststroke in 2:27.82. Just like in the 100, Strauch closed extremely well, splitting 38.55 on the last 50 (the runner-up, Emma Harris, split 41.94 for comparison).
• 14-year old Shayna Jack won the girls’ 50 free in 25.41. That’s a best time for her. Ella Cossill was 2nd in 26.60.
• New Zealand’s Brad Ashby added a win for visiting swimmers in this meet with a 2:02.44 in the men’s 17-18 200 IM. That knocks almost two seconds off of his own New Zealand National Age Record in the event for 17-year olds, and if he were eligible would also easily break the mark for 18-year olds.
• Andrew Ryan won the 12-13 boys’ 100 freestyle in 53.70. Though that’s a second off of Chalmers’ National Age mark set at this meet last year, it is the third-fastest ever by a swimmer of such a young age in Australia.
• And finally, after letting a backstroker (nic Groenewald) take the 14-year old boys’ breaststroke race last year, the true breaststrokers stepped up big in 2013. Zac Stubblety-Cook from East Brisbane won in 1:05.95, followed by Matthew Wilson from Springwood in 1:06.66.