The Hard Facts About Wicked-Fast Aussie Women

2016 HANCOCK PROSPECTING AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS (AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC TRIALS)

• Thursday April 7th-Thursday April 14th
• SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre – Adelaide
• Prelims – 11 am local (9:30 pm EDT previous evening); Finals – 7:45 pm local (6:15 am EDT)
• Australian Olympic Qualifying Criteria
• Psych Sheets
• Program of Events
• Live stream
• Live results

When 3 women from one nation dip under the 53-second threshold in a 100m freestyle final, it’s easy to get caught up in superlatives. However, the fact remains that, through incredibly fast semi-final and final results at the 2016 Australian National Championships, the women of Australia are a clear and present danger to inflicting major pain not only on the 4x100m freestyle World Record, but also to the individual 100m freestyle podium in Rio.

This has a direct impact on potential American outcomes in Rio, as the stars n’ stripes’ women’s sprinting contingency has been in a stagnant state for some time. This was especially brought home by way of the top 3 Aussie women all clocking times under the 100m freestyle American Record and they did so in both semi-finals and finals in Adelaide.

American Record – 53.02, Amanda Weir (2009)

Aussie 100m freestyle prelim::

1. Cate Campbell – 52.41
2. Bronte Campbell – 52.78
3. Emma McKeon – 52.98

Aussie 100m freestyle final:

1. Cate Campbell – 52.38
2. Bronte Campbell – 52.58
3. Emma McKeon – 52.80

That means during a period of less than 24 hours, Australia had 6 performances that went sub-53 and, therefore, destroyed the American Record that was set way back in 2009 during the supersuit days.

No American woman has dipped beneath the 53-second threshold, with Simone Manuel having come the closest with her 53.25 mark at the 2014 Pan Pacific Games. Missy Franklin‘s time of 53.39 is the other semi-recent mark that fell on the quicker side of 53.50, but still a full second off of Cate Campbell’s speedy result that won her gold today.

At the 2012 Olympic Trials, the United States fielded just one swimmer under the 54-second mark in the form of Jessica Hardy (53.96). That was the case for Australia, too, where newly-minted retiree Melanie Wright clocked 53.85 to become the Dolphins’ top qualifier for London.

The difference is that the Aussie women as a whole have seen their times trend downward in fast fashion, while the American women are still trying to overcome the 53-second hurdle. The American women are simply stuck in the 53-second-zone and are in desperate need of someone to bust her way out and lead the way.