Chalmers, Titmus, McKeon, McKeown & More Head to NSW State Open Championships

2023 NEW SOUTH WALES STATE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS

  • Friday, March 10th – Sunday, March 12th
  • Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Center (SOPAC)
  • LCM (50m)
  • Meet Site
  • Start List

While multi-Olympic medalist Cate Campbell is set to make her 2023 racing debut at the Brisbane Senior Metro Championships, several of her Tokyo teammates are entered in the New South Wales State Open Championships this weekend.

Taking place Friday, March 10th through Sunday, March 12th, the NSW Championships offer another racing opportunity before the Australian National Championships in April and the Australian World Trials meet in June.

Entrants include reigning 400m free World Record holder Ariarne Titmus, with the 22-year-old listed in the 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m free events. She’ll be joined by St. Peters Western teammate Kiah Melverton who is set to take on a monster schedule of 7 events including the aforementioned freestyle races in addition to the 200m breast, 200m IM and 400m IM.

Other SPW swimmers include Elijah Winnington, Brianna Throssell and Mollie O’Callaghan. For her part, O’Callaghan is absent from the 100m free event but is set to race the trio of backstroke as well as the 200m and 400m free.

Kyle Chalmers leads the Marion squad and entered in the sprint freestyle and fly events. However, the 24-year-old is among the list of 800m freestyle competitors as well.

We saw Chalmers enter this off-event earlier this year at the South Aussie State Open Championships. At that meet, he registered a time of 8:22.93 to establish a new personal best.

Additional Marion teammates set to race this weekend include Meg Harris, Matt Temple and Madi Wilson.

Griffith University will be out in full force, with the likes of Emma McKeon, Kaylee McKeown, Cody Simpson and Lani Pallister expected.

McKeon is opting to take on the 200m fly instead of the 200m free event while Simpson appears to be staking his claim on potential relay slots by entering the men’s 100m and 200m freestyle event in addition to the 50m/100m fly.

We’ll look for world rankings shakeups with so much talent taking to the pool. As of now, the following Australian athletes competing at NSW rank among the top 5 globally in their respective events this season.

Australian Swimmers Among Top 5 Globally in Season Rankings

  • Elijah Winnington – #1 400m free 3:45.84
  • Josh Edwards-Smith – #1 200m back 1:55.42
  • Isaac Cooper – #5 50m back 24.91
  • Shayna Jack – #2 50m free 24.48
  • Ariarne Titmus – #4 200m free 1:56.10, #5 800m free 8:29.94
  • Kaylee McKeown – #2 100m back 57.93

Key Entrants for the 2023 NSW State Open Championships

  • Bond – Ben Armbruster, Minna Atherton, Milla Jansen, Flynn Southam
  • Carlile – Se-Bom Lee, Olivia Wunsch
  • Griffith – Joshua Edwards-Smith, Bowen Gough, Mack Horton, Emma McKeon, Kaylee McKeown, Lani Pallister, Cody Simpson, Cassie Wild
  • Japan – Shoma Sato
  • Marion – Kyle Chalmers, Meg Harris, Matt Temple, Madi Wilson
  • Melbourne Vicentre – Tamsin Cook, Sam Williamson
  • Miami – Alex Grant, Alex Graham, Jenna Strauch
  • New Zealand – Michael Pickett
  • Nunawading – William Petric
  • Somerset – Thomas Nowakowski
  • Somerville – Kalani Ireland, Cameron McEvoy
  • SOPAC – Matt Wilson, William Yang
  • St. Andrews – Isaac Cooper
  • St. Peters Western – Jack Cartwright, Jenna Forrester, Abbey Harkin, Shayna Jack, Kiah Melverton, Mollie O’Callaghan, Brianna Throssell, Ariarne Titmus, Elijah Winnington

 

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jonathankkh
1 year ago

The scary thing is I believe Kaylee is more than capable of swimming a faster second half than that 1:02.41 she just did.

Jimmyswim
Reply to  jonathankkh
1 year ago

Taylor McKeown posted on insta that Kaylee didn’t rest at all in preparation for this meet. Whether that’s true or not who knows, but if it is true then she is going to be DANGEROUS

Troyy
Reply to  Jimmyswim
1 year ago

She’s fast in season so I’m not sure it matters much.

Steph
1 year ago

Why are they saying the WR is unofficial? Does the records from this meet not count or something

Sub13
Reply to  Steph
1 year ago

I assume that just means it isn’t ratified yet. The meet definitely would be following all the requirements for a WR.

Laps
Reply to  Steph
1 year ago

They will measure the pool to confirm it is the correct length and Kaylee will need to pass a drug test before the WR is official.

They measure the pool after every WR even if there are multiple WRs at the same meet as was the case last year with Titmus and ZCS.

Last edited 1 year ago by Laps
Admin
Reply to  Steph
1 year ago

Some World Records are accepted prima facie – like World Championship, Olympic, or World Cup meets. At other meets, there is a set of procedures that have to be followed for a WR to get accepted – doping control, sometimes pool measurements, paperwork, etc.

I assume that’s what they meant.

I don’t know of a time when it’s been an issue in open-age World Records (except maybe the double-suiting era?) but some huge percentage of World Junior Records in the last 9 years have not been ratified, so I think that’s given everyone pause. For a time, a guy at FINA would email us every time reminding us that records weren’t official until FINA said they were.

Robbos
1 year ago

Wow wow wow Kaylee you bloody legend!!!

Jimmyswim
1 year ago

Wow wasn’t following this closely and just checked Meet Mobile and couldn’t believe it! Kaylee with a 2:03.14!

If she swam a 2:05.14 I would have been more than happy. 2:04.14 would have been stoked. This is just next level.

She must have heard all the Regan Smith hype from last weekend and decided to shut that down.

Laps
1 year ago

With tonight’s LC WR Kaylee has now completed the set for the 200m back winning the Olympics, LC & SC Worlds and is the WR holder for both.

Jimmyswim
Reply to  Laps
1 year ago

And they’re all simultaneous. Now she just needs to win the 100 in Fukuoka without someone taking her WR and she’s got the 100 set too!

flicker
Reply to  Jimmyswim
1 year ago

the only thing she’d be missing the SC 100 WR

BairnOwl
1 year ago

The HD finally finished processing, so here’s Kaylee’s WR on YouTube as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPcVzdZ-_Fg

Steph
1 year ago

After that WR, is it possible we’re looking at another one for the 100m back?

Jimmyswim
Reply to  Steph
1 year ago

Tbh I’m more interested to see what this means for her 200IM.

I don’t want to make any outlandish predictions but a second WR would be fire.

She has the 100 fly and 100 back tomorrow so I think she will either scratch the fly or scratch the fly or she’ll go all out in one of the prelims and scratch the final.

Laps
Reply to  Jimmyswim
1 year ago

With the form she’s in you would think the 100m WR might be in contention as well so I hope she doesn’t scratch it. Regarding the fly, her training for it has been limited due to her previous shoulder injury, as per Bohl’s comments:

“The butterfly is where she has to do more work; she couldn’t get that work done in the ‘fly because of her shoulder (problems) where as she was able to get the back, the breast and the free in – the shoulder ‘touch wood’ is getting a little bit better and more manageable where she is starting to gradually fit a little bit more fly (in to her training).”

Sub13
Reply to  Troyy
1 year ago

Thank you! Crazy how far ahead she is of everyone.

Oh this just got me so excited for swimming this year

Joel
Reply to  Troyy
1 year ago

Thank you so much. Oh my. How good is that?

bubble bubble bubble
Reply to  Troyy
1 year ago

Thanks you!! Amazing swim!

Aussie Mel
Reply to  Troyy
1 year ago

That was incredible

About Retta Race

Retta Race

Former Masters swimmer and coach Loretta (Retta) thrives on a non-stop but productive schedule. Nowadays, that includes having just earned her MBA while working full-time in IT while owning French 75 Boutique while also providing swimming insight for BBC.

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