Throssell Omits 200 Fly From 2020 Western Aussie SC C’ships This Wknd

2020 Western Australia SC Championships

• Friday, September 4th – Sunday, September 6th
• HBF Stadium
• SCM (25m)
• Entries

Over 400 competitors representing 35 swimming clubs are ready to descend upon HBF Stadium in Mount Claremont this weekend, competing at the 2020 Western Australia Short Course Championships.

For many, the meet represents their first racing opportunity since exiting the other side of coronavirus-related restrictions nationwide and statewide. Most WA restrictions were lifted as of the end of June/early July, which means swimmers have had about 2 months of training, at most, under their belts to this point.

Swimming WA held a ‘season opener’ meet in July, but these SC Championships are expected to draw even more elite talent.

Below are highlighted entries for this weekend’s competition.

• Holly Barratt – 50 fly, 100 IM, 50 back, 100 free
• Nic Brown – 100 fly
• Joshua Edwards-Smith – 50/100 fly, 50/100/200 back, 50/100/200 free, 100 IM
• Zac Incerti – 50/100 free, 50/100 back
• Brianna Throssell – 50/100 fly, 50/100/200 free

Of note, Throssell’s omission of the 200m fly falls in line with how the 24-year-old Olympian geared her season last year. Although she finaled in the 20om fly at the 2016 Olympic Games, finishing 8th, the UWA West Coast swimmer has steadily shifted to the sprint free events, specifically the 100m and 200m events.

Between 2018 and 2019, Throssell dropped her LCM 100 free PB down from 54.19 to 53.80. In the LCM 200 free, she was even more dramatic, getting her previous best-ever effort of 1:58.09 from 2018 down to 1:56.62 last year.

The Western Australia Institute of Sport’s 2019 Athlete of the Year helped Australia snag a new World Record in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay at last year’s FINA World Championships. Throssell split 1:55.60 on the 3rd leg to help the squad top the podium in a remarkable collective effort of 7:41.50.

Additionally in Gwangju, Throssell was a vital contributor on the 4x100m freestyle relay, posting a 2nd leg swim of 53.34 to help Australia gain another gold.

As far as short course goes, Throssell’s 100m free PB rests at the 55.43 she posted way back in 2011, while her best time in the 200m free is marked by the 1:56.89 logged in 2014. Even with the rockiness that the coronavirus pandemic brings to this season, we should see some significant time drops from this rising freestyle ace.