2024 SOUTH AUSTRALIA STATE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
- January 19th – January 21st
- SA Aquatic & Leisure Center
- LCM (50m)
- SwimSwam Preview #1/SwimSwam Preview #2
- Entries/Results
The 2024 South Australia State Open Championships kicked off today with several Olympians among the mix of elite and age group swimmers competing.
As a refresher, the only opportunity for Australians to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games is the Australian Trials slated for June. Before that, a smaller-scale roster will be journeying to Doha, Qatar to race at this year’s World Championships.
25-year-old Kyle Chalmers of Marion is not one of the racers bound for Doha but he did take on two events today, including the men’s 400m free and 50m free.
In the former, Chalmers posted a time of 3:59.04 as the 2nd-fastest swimmer on the night. 21-year-old All Saints athlete Thomas Hauck registered 3:57.93 for the top time, while 17-year-old Marcus Da Silva turned in 3:59.77.
As for Chalmers, his outing checks in as the 4th-swiftest of his career. The Olympic champion’s personal best remains at the 3:53.66 logged at these same championships 4 years ago.
The 50m free saw Chalmers get to the wall in 22.66, matching the exact result his teammate Matt Temple turned in.
However, it was 26-year-old TSS Aquatics’ Grayson Bell who beat them both, putting up a mark of 22.33 for the gold.
Of note, 43-year-old Roland Schoeman was also in the race, finishing down the line with a result of 22.82. Germany’s Josha Salchow also raced tonight, hitting 23.01.
Olympic multi-medalist Bronte Campbell displayed her sprinting prowess in the women’s 50m free tonight.
The 29-year-old swimmer representing Cruiz posted 24.61 as the decisive winner. Her outing was within striking distance of her season-best 24.42 earned on the 2023 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup stop in Budapest.
Brittany Castelluzzo touched in 25.40 while 17-year-old Olivia Wunsch produced a mark of 25.51. Wunsch also anchored the NSW women’s 4x50m medley relay in a notable 24.76 and anchored her squad’s 4x100m free relay in 54.98.
C2 was also entered in the women’s 50m back but did not compete. In her stead, it was Nunawading’s Olivia Lefoe who got it done for gold in 29.19.
Additional Notes
- Temple doubled up on events with the 200 fly, hitting 1:59.25 for the gold.
- Da Silva anchored his NSW men’s 4x100m medley relay in 49.53.
- Oceanian Record holder in the 50m breast, Sam Williamson, took on the men’s 100m breast. He hit 1:01.47 for gold, well of the 59.26 personal best he produced last month at the 2023 Japan Open. Williamson is on the roster for Doha.
- 18-year-old Molly Walker touched in 4:15.19 to grab the women’s 400m free gold. 25-year-old Olympian Tamsin Cook was disqualified in the final after registering 4:22.12 in the morning heats.
Temple’s still looking in fantastic shape in the 100 fly: 50.60 !!
Given he swam his 100 free earlier and also significantly off his best time in that does this imply an “easy” 49 is incoming or focus is on fly and free won’t get back to the 48 low from Tokyo?
His 100 free is about where it was in Jan 2021 but the 100 fly is much faster.
2021
50FR 22.75
100FR 48.95
200FR 1:48.25
100FL 51.68
200FL 1:58.99
2024
50FR 22.66
100FR 48.99
200FR ????
100FL 50.60
200FL 1:59.25
If he’s gonna drop as much as he did in 2021 then his 100 fly will be awesome.
It will help the relay tremendously.
The progress of the likes of Southam, Taylor (and most likely Guiliani), along with the “resurrection” of Cartwright, probably means that Temple is now more a contingency resource who, at most, may swim heats rather than a key component of 4X100.
He will, almost certainly, look to at least lay down a 100free marker at Trials as an expression of interest but 100fly, plus his legs for both MMR & 4XMED, should take precedence. He may still need to swim both heats and finals for 4XMED (given the lack of experience/lesser stature of any 2nd 100flyer) but if he’s not swimming the 200fly then its not really a major issue.
I hope Temple saves his taper for Paris which would mean he won’t be fast enough to make top six at trials but they could still use him in the heats anyway.
Nice PB from Marcus da Silva in the 100 free after being plateaued for quite a while.
48.82 Chalmers
48.99 Temple
49.79 Andrea
49.45 da Silva
Re da Silva given 17 and highly unlikely fully rested here def puts himself in the top of the dark horse list for relay selection in 4 x100.
Having said that with the quantity of times now stacking up meaning the usual top 6 cut off 48 high has quickly gone from needing a 48 mid to potentially 48 low to make the team.
48 high was never going to be fast enough to justify taking a second alternate anyway
You’d think Chalmers won anything considering how his face is plastered in the header.
I guess the Aussies need something to motivate them they stand a chance against the US men.
Someone is still grumpy about the Australian domination in Fukuoka.
Team USA had 14 more total medals than team Australia, not sure where the “Australian domination” comes from. I’ll say China will be the USA’s biggest rival in the Olympics not Australia.
https://www.worldaquatics.com/competitions/1/world-aquatics-championships-fukuoka-2023/medals?disciplines=SW
reminder that usopc’s medal incentive scheme is called “operation gold”, not “operation total medals”
Australia won more gold medals overall 13 to 7.
Australia won more women’s gold medals 8 to 4.
Australia won more men’s gold medals 4 to 3.
Australia won more mixed gold medals 1 to 0.
Australia broke more world records 5 to 0.
We can’t disregard silver and bronze medals, that will be disrespectful to the athletes who have worked so hard to earn them.
They’re not disregarded but the primary measure for who was No.1 at a championship is who won the most gold medals.
Who had the most total medals is the second most important measure and is always mentioned. But valuing bronze medals equally with gold to decide the winning country is to devalue gold medals.
Chalmers is a beast
But what about Cate Campbell? TEAM USA wants to know everything she’s doing – she’s the belle (pun intended) of the ball.
On the evidence to date, particularly World Cup; still capable of a time that could conceivably grab one of the 50free spots but these tend to be one-offs and her capacity to back-up increasingly questionable.
Still potentially in the frame for 4×100 but maybe only for heats ….. and could well be superceded by either her (mentally stronger) sister or Wunsch …. or both.
Apologies if this doesn’t quite fit your intended narrative.
Most impressive to me is Temple’s PB after a 200 fly. Definitely a good sign for him