It was a very productive night for the Australian swimming as six athletes filled the maximum number of spots on the Olympic team that were up for grabs on the first night of the Australian Championships in Adelaide. Athletes had the ability to earn two tickets to Rio in the men’s and women’s 400 IM as well as the men’s 400 freestyle.
The Australian Olympic qualifying standard in the men’s 400 IM is a 4:15.42, both Thomas Fraser-Holmes and Travis Mahoney finished under the cut. Fraser-Homes won the event in a time of 4:11.09 followed by Mahoney who touched in a time of 4:14.98.
Fraser-Holmes, who was less than a second off his best time of 4:10.14, will swim the event at an Olympic Games for the second time in his career. He swam the same event in London finishing seventh in the final.
For Mahoney, who swum this event at both the 2014 Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacific Championships, this will be his first opportunity to represent Australia at an Olympic Games.
Blair Evans and Keryn McMaster both went under the Australian Olympic qualifying standard of 4:38.20 in the women’s 400 IM. Evan posted a a time of 4:35.26 while McMaster recorded a 4:37.94.
Evans, who has been blossoming under the tutelage of Bud McAllister, beat her lifetime best of 4:36.21, which she posted in 2012. This is Evans first berth onto the Australian National Team since she swam the 400 IM at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
McMaster was over a second off her best time of 4:36.21, which she posted at the Commonwealth Games. This will be McMaster’s first Olympic Games.
Mack Horton destroyed the Australian Olympic standard of 3:47.19 winning the men’s 400 freestyle in a time of 3:41.65. David McKeon and Jack McLoughlin were also under the standard. McKeon finished second in a time of 3:45.09 while McLoughlin recorded a time of 3:46.27.
With only the top two having the ability to qualify for the games Horton and McKeon will be the men on the flight to Rio.
This will be Horton’s first Olympics while McKeon swam the same event at the London Games in 2012.
Horton just became a gold medal contender.
It is hard not to see Horton on the podium.
At the same time it is hard to predict Sun Yang’s current form unless he swim in US pro series in Santa Clara later on. I don’t believe he will swim in Mare Nostrum or the Italian nine hills as he is currently training in Bay Area, US, until just before the Olympics.
If Yang wins 400 in Rio at the age of 24 and 8 months, he will be the second oldest Olympics 400 free gold medalist after Norman Ross won in 1920 Antwerp at the age of 25 yo.
So history is not on Yang’s side.
My money is on Horton who will be 20… Read more »
Is Mack’s 400 the fastest in the world this year now? It is VERY quick.
It is.
In fact, it is the fastest 400 free since Sun Yang’s 3:41.59 at 2013 World Championships.
hackett went a 3:49
Did Hackett swim the 400? If so how did it go?
4th in Finals, 3:48+
He went 3:47.75 in prelims and then a second slower in the final 3:48.84