McKeon Has Another Breakthrough Performance
Emma McKeon has had a fantastic competition and is beginning to show the incredible potential she has. The 21 year old started the championships with a strong race in the 100 butterfly posting a time of 56.89, which qualified her for the Olympic team and places her third in the world rankings.
Today McKeon took the women’s 200 freestyle in a time of 1:54.83 breaking her own Australian record and Commonwealth record of 1:55.53. She still has the 50 and 100 freestyle left to swim.
Two Veterans Punch Their Tickets to Rio
Both Bronte Barratt and Alicia Coutts came into the Australian Championships with the goal of making their third Olympic team and both had chances in the first three days of competition. Barratt had the fastest time in the prelims of the 400 freestyle, but decided to not swim the final. Coutts swam the 100 butterfly, but finished third behind McKeon and Madeline Groves.
Both veterans had a second go at qualifying for the team in Sunday’s finals. Barratt was first up and qualified for the 200 freestyle finishing second behind teammate McKeon and under the Olympic qualifying time of 1:56.95. Then it was Coutts’ turn. In the final individual event of the evening the Olympic silver medalist took the 200 IM in a time of 2:09.95, which puts her third in the world rankings.
Both woman will not only play a huge role in how the team performs in Rio, but will be influential members of the team’s leadership group.
Promising Signs for the Men’s Breaststroke Events
The Australians have a good deal of top end talent in most of the events across the board, but there is one glaring weakness, the men’s breaststroke events. Australian record holder Christian Sprenger retired earlier this year and his absence leaves a very big point of weakness for the nation, especially in the 200. The lack of depth in these events was noticeable when Sprenger was still competing because of the fall off of his performance due to injury.
Jake Packard has made some major improvements and is showing some very encouraging signs in the 100 meter event. Packard came into the 2013-14 season with a best of 1:04.30 and has taken his lifetime best down to a 59.44, which he posted at the World Championships on his way to a fifth place finish.
17 year old Matthew Wilson, who won the silver at last summer’s World Junior Championships is a promising young swimmer who may be able to elevate the country’s standing in the event in the future. Wilson qualified for the 200 breaststroke final with the top time 2:10.68, over a half second improvement on his lifetime best of 2:11.23. The World Junior Championships silver medalist is still over a second off the Olympic qualifying standard.
Two More St Peters Western Athletes Make the Olympic Team
Another day another two of members of the St Peters Western Swim Club qualify to compete in Rio. With Bronte Barratt and Grant Irvine both making the team today there are now seven St Peters Western swimmers on the Olympic team. The athletes who have already made the team have a good shot at adding more events to their schedule, but it will be a long shot for them to get another athlete on the team.
Still seven is a nice sounding number.
Will Stockwell (100 free final) has some of the best swimming genes in history. His dad was on an Aussie Olympian and his mother is the one and only, Tracy Caulkins!