Sprinter Jack Cartwright Enters Only 1500 Free at Australian Swimming Trials

2019 SWIMMING AUSTRALIA WORLD TRIALS

The final start lists for Australia’s World Championship Trials have been released, and, complete with a “no changes can now be made” warning at the top, there is a most peculiar entry for 20-year old Jack Cartwright.

That’s “entry” in the singular, because the St. Peters Western swimmer is entered in only a single event, the men’s 1500 free, where he’s the 9th seed with a 15:44.34. That time sits him 57 seconds away from top seed Jack McLoughlin, and even without an entry from Mack Horton, leaves him 45 seconds short of the qualifying standard for the World Championships.

What makes this singular entry so bizarre is that Cartwright, to this point of his career, has been a world-class sprinter. To be specific, he took a silver, behind only countrymate Kyle Chalmers and tied with the defending World Champion Caeleb Dressel, in the 100 free at last summer’s Pan Pac Championships. There he swam a 48.22 that was the 3rd-best time of his career. His best time was a 47.97 done in the semi-finals of the 2017 World Championships, when he was only 18, to qualify through to the final in 5th place; he would add a few tenths and finish 7th in the medal round.

There’s virtually nothing in his championship history that would foreshadow such a shift. He was the Australian Champion at last summer’s Pan Pac Trials in the 100 free, took 3rd in the 200 back, and split a 1:47.21 on an 800 free relay. He swam the 100 free exclusively (individually and in relays) at the Commonwealth Games, and at Pan Pacs he was 6th in the 50 free (22.65), swam on Australia’s 400 free relay (48.56 on a rolling start), and also clocked a leg on their 800 free relay (1:45.52 on a rolling start), in  addition to his medal-worthy 100 individually.

All of his international medals to date have been over 100 or 200 meters, including a World Junior Championship in 2015 on the men’s 400 free relay.

In fact, Cartwright has only one result in the 1500 free, in long course or short course, in his career according to Swimming Australia’s official database. That’s the 15:44.34 that he’s seeded with, which was swum at December’s Queensland Long Course Championships.

He didn’t race the 100 free at that meet either. Instead, he entered the 200 back (1:59.77), the 400 free (3:53.46), the 100 fly (54.49), and the 50 free (22.61), in addition to the 1500 free.

Cartwright was absent from April’s Australian Swimming Championships, and registers no results in Australia’s official database in 2019. He did, however, sign an endorsement deal with FINIS just before those Australian Championships.

We’ve reached out to Cartwright to ask about his sudden shift in focus, but as of posting have not received a response.

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Language barriers
5 years ago

When the coach says “put ‘em in the fifty an’ hundred free” … dang Aussie accents at it again

Language barriers
Reply to  Language barriers
5 years ago

Just noticed someone already commented this. Lol

Torchbearer
Reply to  Language barriers
5 years ago

Reminds me of this story….Sydney used to have a huge crane on the waterfront..apparently they ordered one 60 ton crane from Britain…but got a 160 ton crane instead!

Old Man Chalmers
Reply to  Torchbearer
5 years ago

or at the winter olympics last year where the norway team ordered 15000 eggs instead of 1500

Scribble
5 years ago

Actually he is transferrring to Texas to train with Rooney and Reese.

MTK
5 years ago

It’s a bold strategy, Cotton. Let’s see if it pays off for him.

Really
5 years ago

Note to rest of prelim heat — he is going to take out that first 100 real fast…..

nuotofan
5 years ago

In the Country of Holland, Perkins and Hackett, only 14 entries in the men 1500 free and one is an error..

Samesame
Reply to  nuotofan
5 years ago

I think the cost of travel and accomodation does restrict numbers. Mostly those who live locally or who have a chance at qualifying for Worlds enter . Plus we only have a small population in a very large country .

Robbos
5 years ago

I was floored when I saw the final start list, surely an error.

AussieKeith
5 years ago

Coach in Aussie accent: “Enter him in the 50 and 100”
Admin in Aussie accent: “I’ve entered him in the 1500”

John
5 years ago

Maybe he wanted the shortest session possible and just wanted to start his 1400 warmdown right away

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Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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