Ning Zetao Takes 1Free, While McKeon Wins Twice On QLD Day 3

2018 QUEENSLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Saturday, December 15th – Friday, December 21st
• 12/15 – relays only; 12/20 & 12/21 – age groupers
• Brisbane Aquatic Center
• LCM
• Meet Site
• SwimSwam Meet Preview
• Entry List
• Day 1 Recap/Day 2 Recap
• Live Stream
• Live Results

The 2018 Queensland Championships continued in Brisbane, with Olympians Emma McKeon, Bronte Campbell and Ning Zetao of China making appearances.

As such, 24-year-old McKeon of Griffith University produced a 58.40 to take the women’s 100m fly crown here at QLD champs, although that mark was faster than the 58.94 she clocked at this same meet last year for silver. Flipping spots with the Aussie from last year to now was Korean athlete An Seyheon, McKeon’s training partner under Michael Bohl.

Last year, Seyheon touched in 58.79 for QLD SC Champs gold, but tonight she settled for silver behind her lanemate in 58.72. Bronze this evening went to Jemma Schlicht who finished in 59.79.

McKeon doubled up on the session with gold in the 100m free as well. Splitting 25.95/27.77, the multiple Olympic medalist led the final wire-to-wire, clocking an overall effort of 53.72. that was just enough to hold off St. Peters Western Shayna Jack, who touched in 53.79 for silver.

2015 double world champion and Olympic medalist Bronte Campbell made her comeback debut after a post-Commonwealth Games break, finishing a respectable 3rd in 53.98 in the 100m free final.

At this same competition last year, it was sister Cate Campbell who topped everyone in a remarkable outing of 52.69, while Bronte finished 2nd in 53.75 and Jack wound up 3rd in 53.81. McKeon was actually 4th in 2017 in 54.43, so she jumped up 3 spots to take the top prize this year, with a time well over half a second faster to boot.

TSS Aquatics Olympian David Morgan took the top spot in the men’s edition of the 100m fly tonight, clocking 53.30 to touch .23 ahead of runner-up Clyde Lewis. Lewis finished in 53.53, while Edward Marks rounded out the top 3 in 54.07.

Kiah Melverton followed up her stellar summer with a win here in the women’s 400m free. Stopping the clock at 4:07.72, the 22-year-old held Junior Pan Pacs multiple medalist Lani Pallister at bay. Pallister hit the wall in 4:08.97 to represent the only other swimmer in the race under 4:10, with Noosa’s Kareena Lee finishing 3rd in 4:10.52.

Melverton was the Pan Pacs silver medalist in the 1500m freestyle after she took bronze in the 800m at this year’s Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast. For Pallister, the 16-year-old took a trio of golds in Fiji at Junior Pan Pacs, winning the 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle events, while also collecting silver in the 200m free.

China’s Ning finally took to the pool after short-lived comeback to racing at the Chinese National Championships in November. After not making the 50m fly final at that meet, the 2015 100m freestyle world champion pulled out of the remainder of the competition with broken fingers. 

He also opted out of this year’s Asian Games.

However, the 25-year-old 2015 World Champion was the 100m freestyle winner, producing a time of 48.43. Splitting 23.51/24.92, Ning’s time of 48.43 was the only mark under 49, with runner-up Lewis earning silver in 49.67. Ning’s best SCM time sits at the 46.76 he cranked out in heats at the 2014 Short Course World Championships before withdrawing from the semi-finals.

Additional Winners:

• Jack McLoughlin was tonight’s 400m freestyle winner for the men, establishing the fastest finals time of 3:45.17 over Elijah Winnington‘s 3:47.44. Winnington set the World Junior Record in the SCM version of this event with the 3:39.17 he threw down in October at the 2018 Aussie Short Course Championships. Of note, New Zealand Commonwealth Games 400 IM bronze medalist Lewis Clareburt was also in tonight’s race, finishing 4th in 3:53.36.
• Southport swimmer Leiston Pickett picked up gold in the women’s 100m breaststroke in 1:08.09, while USC’s Jake Packard won the men’s race in 1:00.58.
• Age groupers that made their marks tonight include Kaylee McKeown winning the 17-18 400m free in 4:15.42, Japan’s 13-year-old Karen Otsuka taking the 200m IM for her age group in 2:19.29, as well as 15-year-old Thomas Hauck winning his age group’s 100m free in 51.47.