2024 AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC TRIALS
- June 10-15, 2024
- Brisbane Aquatic Center – Brisbane, Australia
- LCM (50 meters)
- Swimming Australian Olympic Nomination Criteria
- Meet Central
- Updated Psych Sheet
- Heat Sheets
- Day 1 Prelims Recap
- Live Results
- Livestream (VPN Needed)
Day one of the 2024 Australian Olympic Trials wasted no time demonstrating why it is one of the most elite competitions in all the world.
Immediately after Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus fired off the #2 performance of all-time in the women’s 400m free, Kaylee McKeown blasted a new Australian national record and Commonwealth record in the women’s 200m IM.
Touching in a result of 2:06.63, McKeown sliced .36 off her previous lifetime best and Aussie standard of 2:06.99 logged just this past April at the Open Championships. Her result easily cleared the Swimming Australia-mandated Olympic Qualification Time of 2:10.62 to book her ticket to Paris.
Ella Ramsay touched in 2:09.32 behind McKeown, also dipping under the OQT, earning her first-ever sub-2:10 outing in the process. Jenna Forrester rounded out the top 3 in 2:11.83 this evening.
McKeown’s 2:06.63 bumps herself up the list of all-time performers to now rank as the 3rd-best in history, overtaking retired British ace Siobhan-Marie-O’Connor‘s time of 2:06.88 which earned the silver medal at the 2016 Olympic Games.
McKeown is within striking distance of Hungarian Katinka Hosszu‘s longstanding World Record of 2:06.12 established in 2016.
Top 5 Women’s LCM 200 IM Performers All-Time
- Katinka Hosszu (HUN) – 2:06.12, 2015
- Ariana Kukors (USA) – 2:06.15, 2009
- Kaylee McKeown (AUS) – 2:06.63, 2024
- Siobhan-Marie O’Connor (GBR) – 2:06.88, 2016
- Summer McIntosh (CAN) – 2:06.89, 2023
McKeown ripped a swift 27.58 opening fly leg before dipping under the 32-second threshold for the first time in the backstroke. She continued the momentum on the back half to beat the field by nearly 3 seconds.
SPLIT COMPARISON:
| 2024 AUSSIE OLY TRIALS | 2024 AUSSIE OPEN FINAL |
2023 AUSSIE TRIALS
|
|
| 50 Fly | 27.58 | 27.84 | 27.74 |
| 50 Back | 31.83 | 32.10 | 32.08 |
| 50 Breast | 36.87 | 37.48 | 37.25 |
| 50 Free | 30.35 | 29.57 | 30.53 |
| Total | 2:06.63 | 2:06.99 | 2:07.60 |
Maybe this is a sign that Summer should do the 800. Kaylee will win 2IM regardless.
Doesn’t have the QT for the 800.
200 IM looking like the race of the Paris Olympics. Gonna be so hard to predict because every swimmer seems to react differently to a double taper/trial to big meet:
-Summer has been inconsistent sometimes drops, sometimes adds. Didn’t seem like she tapered much for Canadian trials but even there was breaking a WR in the 400 IM but also off her PBs in the other events. Youngest of the field and has the biggest noticable weakness in breaststroke but made a huge improvement in her 400 IM WR split there.
-Kaylee swims will likely have the fastest time going in with this 2:06.6 and swims fast all the time. Historically doesn’t seem to be effected by taper, swimming most… Read more »
Nice analysis. It’s looking likely that the 200 IM will be a better race than the women’s 400 free.
The Men’s 100 Fly for me is looking like the race of the meet. Just because of five possibly six being on top of each other as opposed to the four in the Women’s 200 IM.
But the 1Fl has a lower chance of being historically fast.
Based on McIntosh’s breast split of 1:17.1 in her recent WR in the 400 IM, I don’t think you can call that stroke a noticeable weakness anymore.
this is true, but notice how she was still a 38.1 in her 200 IM at Canadian Trials – so it still is significantly slower than the other 3 swimmers
Go Kaylee! (makes you realise just how good Siobhan Marie O’Connor was.)
Mckeown is cooked if she doesn’t maintain that breastroke gap 💀
As an American, I’m thankful for Kaylee! When she goes her awesome times it motivates girls like Regan, Kate, and Alex to be even better! She’s awesome for the sport.
She can have 4 individual WR does anyone have that?
Sjöström
but Sjöström isn’t “anyone.” …. she’s Sjöström.
Fair, she’s the queen.
Sarah Sjostrom holds 4 LCM WRs in the 50 + 100 free and 50 + 100 fly. She has also held the 50, 100, and 200 free and 100 fly SCM world records at some point in her career.
For a two week period it was all at the same time
If you include SCM she already has 4
If Summer can really work on her breastroke and split 37.99 (or better) and keep her other legs constant, she will almost certainly win the medley double..
An interesting trend in the women’s medley events at the Olympics since the year 2000
Sydney 2000- Yana Klochkova 200/400IM gold
Athens 2004- Yana Klochkova 200/400IM gold
Beijing 2008- Steph Rice 200/400IM gold
London 2012- Ye Shiwen 200/400IM gold
Rio 2016- Hosszu Katinka 200/400IM gold
Tokyo 2020- Yu Ohashi 200/400IM gold
The trend in the 21st century for women has been one winner for both medley events. Assuming Summer Macintosh wins the 400m IM in Paris, it’ll be the 1st time in 24 years, if she failed to double up.. Looking at Mckeown’s 2.06.63, she’s a strong favourite for the gold. Depending on how Summer & Kaylee handle the multiple event schedule; we may not… Read more »
One thing to note about this too is that Douglass does not swim the 400 IM at all and Walsh is not as competitive in it, comparatively speaking. On the other hand, McKeown is the current second-best 400 IM swimmer in the world, so she has a strong background in that event too.
With that being said, there’s still quite a gap between McIntosh and McKeown in the 400 IM. I guess we’ll see soon enough if the trend of the IM double at the Olympics will continue to hold or not.
Quite rightly said. Some 200IMers have a background in other sprint events (fly/breastroke) and don’t always double up to swim the 400IM(a particularly grueling event). That said, doing well in the long IM seems to be beneficial to the shorter version; several examples really: Phelps, Lochte, Cseh, Hagino on the men’s side; I’d think Macintosh will have a lot of momentum from winning the 400IM and has very good odds of a successful double. Will see how Walsh & Douglas will do next week at USAs. It will be sad to see a 2.06 performer off the podium.
I assume you purposely ignored Michele Smith’s 96 double (for legit reasons).