Larkin Enters All-Time Aussie List With SCM 400 IM PB

2020 QUEENSLAND SC CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Friday, September 25th – Sunday, September 27th
• Brisbane Aquatic Centre
• SCM (25m)
• SwimSwam Meet Preview
• Entries
• Live Results

Day 1 of the 2020 Queensland Short Course Championships brought the heat, with stellar performances across the board.

We reported on the 800m free national record set by 18-year-old Lani Pallister, as well as the breakout best time in the men’s 1500m by 17-year-old Sam Short. You can refresh yourself on those performances here and here.

But there were plenty of other standout swimmers in the water at Brisbane Aquatic Centre, including Olympic medalist Mitch Larkin. 27-year-old Larkin took on 2 events on the day, beginning with the 400m IM.

Touching the wall in a time of 4:06.26, Larkin won the men’s race handily, producing a top time to boot. The Swimming Australia database doesn’t have a time listed for Larkin in this short course meters 400 IM, so it would appear this is perhaps the first time the St. Peters Western star has swum the race in this format.

Larkin’s long course 400 IM has been steadily improving, with the man owning a personal best of 4:14.62 from the 2019 Australian National Championships. His long course 200 IM has been decidedly world-class, with Larkin owning the Australian and Oceanic Records with the 1:55.72 he produced at last year’s World Championships Trials. He wound up 7th in Gwangju, however, in a much slower 1:57.32.

With his 4:06.26 here in the SCM 400 IM, however, Larkin enters the all-time Aussie performers’ list in slot #6.

All-Time Aussie Men’s SCM 400 IM Performers

1. 3:57.91 Thomas Fraser-Holmes 91 Miami Nov’15 Sydney
2. 4:04.24 Matthew Dunn 73 Sydney Uni Sept’98 Perth
3. 4:04.96 Travis Mahoney 90 Nunawading Nov’14 Adelaide
4. 4:05.28 David Schlicht 99 MLC Aquatic Oct’18 Melbourne
5. 4:05.74 Clyde Lewis 97 St Peters Western Nov’16 Brisbane
6. 4:06.26 Mitch Larkin 2020 QLD SC Championships
7. 4:07.06 Jayden Hadler 93 Chandler July’10 Brisbane
8. 4:07.09 Brendon Smith 00 Nunawading Nov’19 Washington
9. 4:07.51 Tomas Elliott 95 SOPAC Nov’15 Sydney
10. 4:08.09 Jared Gilliland 94 Brisbane Grammar Oct’18 Melbourne

Larkin also took on the men’s 200m back this evening where he produced a winning effort of 1:52.46. He owns the World Record in this short course event in 1:45.63 from 2015, the same year he won both the 100m and 200m titles at the 2015 FINA World Aquatic Championships.

It was a super close battle in the women’s 200m back, with Minna Atherton and Emily Seebohm fighting tooth and nail to the finish. Atherton opened in 58.89 to Seebohm’s 59.97, but Seebohm came on strong on the back half to fall just .10 shy of gold. Atherton wound up with the top prize in 2:03.32 to Seebohm’s 2:03.42.

Atherton and Seebohm already rank as the top 2 Aussie performers all-time in this SCM event, with Atherton’s time of 1:59.25 standing as the record. Seebohm’s PB is represented by the 1:59.49 she logged in 2015.

Several Queensland All Comers Records bit the dust on the day, starting with Isaac Cooper in the men’s 100m IM for 16-year-olds. Cooper got his hand on the wall first in a tie of 56.39 to overtake the previous QLD All Comersmark of 57.04 Clyde Lewis established in 2014.

Cooper also made his mark in the 50m free, tying the proper Queensland Record for 16-year-olds. He touched in 22.43 to match Cameron Jones’ record mark from 2012.

In the men’s 18-year-old category, Ethan Banks reaped the top prize in the men’s 50m free, establishing a new Queensland All Comers Record in the process. He fired off a lifetime best of 22.26 to slice .01 off of Brayden McCart’s 22.27 from 4 years ago.

On the women’s side, Mollie O’Callaghan did damage in the women’s 50m free for 16-year-olds, clocking 24.58. That crushed Emma McKeon‘s Queensland All Comers Record for the age group, which stood at 24.73 for 10 years.

Finally, Meg Harris was fierce in the women’s 18-year-old age category of the 50m free. She touched in 24.76 to demolish the Queensland All Comers Record for the age group. Marieke Guehrer previously held the mark in 25.15 from 2004.

Both O’Callaghn and Harris snagged lifetime bests with their performances this evening. O’Callaghan’s 24.58 remarkably represents the teen’s first-ever time under 25 seconds, with her previous PB resting ag 25.19 from October of last year.

As for Harris, her 24.76 this evening hacked .16 off of her previous career-quickest of 24.92. As a result, O’Callaghan now ranks 3rd among the all-time Aussie list for 16-year-olds, while Harris situates herself in slot #5 among 18-year-olds in this event.

Additional Notes from Day 1:

• Charles Cox got his hand on the wall ahead of Olympian David Morgan in the men’s 200m fly. Logging 1:56.35, Cox sliced .09 off of his previous lifetime best of 1:56.44 nabbed just last weekend. Morgan settled for silver tonight in 1:57.11.
• Commonwealth Games medalist Laura Taylor just edged out Chelsea Gubecka in the women’s 200m fly, with the former stopping the clock in 2:09.82 to the latter’s 2:09.99.
• The women’s 400m IM saw Kiah Melverton get it done for gold in 4:40.98 tonight.
• Of note, placing 3rd in the men’s 200m back was 17-year-old Thomas Hauck. Hauck hit the wall in a time of 1:54.23, a mark just .12 outside his lifetime best and new age record thrown down last month at the Queensland Preparation Meet.