Keeping the streak alive, for the third-straight day at the 2013 Australian Age Championships in Adelaide, South Australia, we saw another National Age Record go down at the country’s premier junior championship meet.
Wednesday’s record-breaking swim came in the boy’s 14-year olds 100 free, where Kyle Chalmers won in 50.86. That crushes the old National Age record of 52.14 held by Te Haumi Maxwell from 2009. Chalmers does tower over most swimmers his age, but with huge feet and a father who is a former professional Australian rules football player, Chalmers’ potential is bright.
For reference, that swim by Chalmers is seven-tenths of a second better than the American NAG Record for 14 year olds, and that record has been around for 25 years.
Chalmers’ was the only age record for the day, but it wasn’t the only incredibly impressive swim. In the boy’s 17-18 200 free, St. Kevins’ Alexander Graham won in 1:47.70. Since London, only Thomas Fraser-Holmes has been faster than that time among Australians. That includes being faster than swimmers like Olympians Cameron McEvoy and David McKeon.
Regan Leong was 2nd in 1:50.10, though he was a 1:48 in January; the top four were all 17 years old, and ran 1:47.7, 1:50.1, 1:50.6, and 1:51.9. That relay, if sent to the World Junior Championships, could crush the meet record and should be easily better than anybody else in the world will put up out of their junior ranks.
In the girls’ 17-18 200 free, Leah Neale broke two minutes for just the second time in her career and swam a lifetime best of 1:58.97 for the win. Emma McKeon was a 1:59.4 in prelims, but scratched finals, which left Amelia Gould in 2nd in 2:00.12. The Australian women placed 2nd at the Olympics in this 800 free relay, and though Neale’s time for a 17-year old is very impressive, the Olympic relay was quite young. The moral of the story is that Neale will have to keep improving if she wants to break onto this relay in time for the 2016 Olympics.
Chandler’s female counterpart is Shayna Jack, and she won the 14-year-old girls’ 100 free in 55.36. American readers will remember Jack as not only the youngest swimmer at last year’s U.S. Open, but as the swimmer who placed in the top 5 of both the 50 and 100 freestyles at that meet when she was only 13 years old.
The other two really standout swims of Wednesday’s finals session both came in girls’ breaststroke races. In the 15-year olds 100 breaststroke race, Georgia Bohl swam a 1:09.43. She is the daughter of famed St. Peter’s Western coach Michael Bohl. That’s not her best time in the race (she was actually faster last year), but most of the great young breaststrokers we’ve seen come through this age group over the last few years haven’t swum very well at this meet, specifically.
In the girls’ 17-18 200 meter breaststroke race, Taylor McKeown won in 2:25.90, dominating the 100 meter champion Jessica Hansen by margin of 2:25.90-2:32.03. Australia doesn’t have great historical records, but that bumps McKeown up to 7th on the all-time list in the country’s history. Among 18 & unders, it puts her 3rd all time behind only Tessa Wallace (who hasn’t improved yet upon the times she went in 2009 at 16) and Leisel Jones.
Full, live meet results available here.
irls’ 15 100 breast
Girls’ 17-18 200 breaststroke
Is that one of the 1st of April News?
I now want to see a Leah Neale vs. Lia Neal head to head race. Seems like it would be close and an amusing nightmare for the announcers.
That 200m talent pool is strong when you consider that McEvoy is still 18 and could have competed here. He was 1:47.7 a month ago in preparation for nationals.
As the article states, Leong was 1:48 earlier in the year, Graham at 1:47.7 and then there is 16 year old Mack Horton, who was 1:50.1 in January, together with 50.35 for the 100 and 15:04 in the 1500.
Not a bad relay.
Another little phenom in there getting some fly & I’m medals is 14 year old Chelsea Gubecka who is the 2013 Australian 10 k open Water champion,
That is some range.
Kyle is da bomb. He is also on the South Australian junior squad in a completely mad crazy football place , but so far he is swimming on. Football is big money by comparison so we are lucky.
There are good signs elsewhere.
Just a note about Tessa Walters. Tessa has had some injuries – quite possibly from her former level 10 gymnastic career , but has been struck down by a debilitating tropical virus – Ross River Fever. Hope she gets back one day as she was quite a talent .
50.86?Absurd!Sick time for a 14y old boy.The new generation is going sky high in their swimming.
I think that’s the fastest ever 100m free by 14 yo.