Larkin Picks 200 IM Over 200 Back On QLD C’ships Day 3

2020 QUEENSLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Saturday, December 12th – Friday, December 18th (Day 1 relays only; Days 5-8 are age group)
• Brisbane Aquatic Center
• LCM (50m)
• SwimSwam Meet Preview
• Day 1 Recap/Day 2 Recap
• Entries/Live Results
• Live Stream ($)

Day 3 of the 2020 Queensland Championships brought the heat once again, with key players to the tune of Emma McKeon, Cameron McEvoy and Kaylee McKeown in the water.

The latter already did major damage at this meet, putting up an Australian national record in the women’s 100m back en route to becoming the 2nd fastest performer ever worldwide. McKeown also laid down a massive PB in the 400m IM to become Australia’s 2nd fastest woman all-time. You can review those big-time swims in the recaps above.

Today, McKeown took on the 200m IM/200m back double, wreaking havoc across both. In the former, she hit a new personal best of 2:08.23. That hacked more than a second off of her previous personal best and established a new All Comers Record. You can read more about her achievement in this event here.

The teen powered her way to an eye-popping 2:05.16 in the 200m back to close out her night. That ranks among the top 10 performances all-time. McKeown owns the national record with her 2:04.49 from last month. You can read more about her 200m back race from this evening here.

In other swims, Mitch Larkin proved his prowess in the men’s 200m IM event, reaping a golden effort of 1:56.32. Although that sits outside his own PB and Aussie national record of 1:55.72 from last year, it’s a stellar result after a year of tumultuous training due to coronavirus restrictions.

Larkin’s time ranks as the 2nd fastest swim of the season, positioning the St. Peters Western star behind world leader Wang Shun by only .05.

Larkin’s consistency in this 2IM is further begging the question as to whether he’ll try to double up with the 200m back and this event for his potential Olympic schedule. He dropped the 200m back this morning so this 2IM was his sole race. That may be a hint as to which way the man is leaning but he also simply may be experimenting with different schedules with several months to go until the Aussie Olympic Trials.

Emma McKeon did keep both her events for this evening, which meant we were treated to the versatile star’s talent in both the 50m free and the 200m fly.

First, in the splash n’ dash, the 26-year-old Griffith University ace knocked down the only sub-25 second time of the field, hitting the wall in 24.55. This outing ranks as her 5th fastest result of all-time, continuing her wicked momentum from the meet already where she’s taken the 100m free and 100m fly in the same night.

In earlier age categories of this 50m free, 16-year-old SPW athlete Mollie O’Callaghan logged a time of 25.09 to knock significant time off her previous PB of 25.41.

Her 18-year-old teammate Meg Harris won her age group as well, producing a solid swim of 25.00 to check-in with the 2nd fastest result of her career.

McKeon’s 2nd event of the 200m fly saw the Olympian snag silver behind up-and-coming Newmarket racer Elizabeth Dekkers. Dekkers touched in a head-turning 2:07.82 to beat McKeon’s 2:09.39 by nearly 2 seconds. Dekkers’ time checks-in as a new national age record, which you can read more about here.

Lanni Pallister got it done once again in the mid-distance freestyle events, tonight in the 800m free. The teen clocked a time of 8:24.71 to reap the top prize in an Ariarne Titmus–less field. Word is that Titmus is sick and has withdrawn from the remainder of the meet.

Jack McLoughlin claimed the 1500m free gold in 15:01.16, while Cameron McEvoy was the men’s 50 free winner in a time of 22.23.

Of note, in the men’s 50m freestyle race for 18-year-old’s, Michael Pickett of New Zealand nearly broke the Kiwi national record to win that particular race. Pickett crushed a time of 22.31, falling just .04 outside of Daniel Hunter’s NZL standard.