Two from two for To
Swimming Australia
Published: Sep 14, 2012 11:51:56 PM Updated: Oct 17, 2012 12:11:28 PM
Three-time Junior Pan Pacific gold medallist from 2010 Kenneth To has thrown himself into contention for a second swim at the World Short Course Championships in Turkey in December.
The 20-year-old backed up yesterday’s 100m butterfly title by taking out tonight’s 200m individual medley at the EnergyAustralia Short Course Championships in Perth.
To led all the way to touch in a time of 1:53.69 – 0.07 under the required mark.
The five-time national short course champion comfortably beat last night’s 400m IM champion Travis Mahoney (1:55.11) to the wall, while Youth Olympic gold medallist Justin James booked the final place on the podium with his time of 1:57.08.
World Championship gold medallist Marieke Guehrer is in line for a place on the Australian team for the World Short Course Championships in Turkey after swimming a qualifying time of 52.72 in the 100m freestyle.
Guehrer, who held the corresponding national short course title in 2008 and 2011, held a comfortable lead throughout the race and eased to the wall in a time of 53.68.
London Olympic silver medallist Angie Bainbridge finished second in a time of 53.60 while London gold medallist Brittany Elmslie (53.73) was forced to settle for bronze.
Not to be outdone, returning Paralympian Grant Patterson has claimed two short course titles in the one evening, defending his 100m backstroke and 100m freestyle multi-class crowns.
After breaking his classification world record this morning in qualifying, Patterson returned to finish just 0.24 outside his 100m freestyle milestone mark in a time of 1:55.73.
His performance in the 100m backstroke was equally as impressive, touching in a time of 2:03.25 to continue his stranglehold on the event since 2010.
New South Welshman Patrick Donachie received the silver in the freestyle (58.69) and bronze in the backstroke (1:01.18), with Jeremy Tidy (1:01.18) claiming second tier on the podium in the backstroke.
In other events…
Women’s 50m butterfly
Brittany Elmslie has taken out the 50m butterfly, edging out the field in a time of 26.63.
Elmslie, who had to back up after finishing third in the 100m freestyle just four events earlier, was first into the water and led all the way, finishing ahead of 14-year-old Queenslander Lucia Lassman (26.88).
“I was stinging a bit after the 100m freestyle so it was good to go out and put together a good 50m,” Elmslie said.
“The support I’ve had [since returning from the Olympics] has been amazing. It was a great experience and I’m looking forward to Rio in four years’ time.”
Australian Age champion Christina Licciardi finished third, while Jemma Schlicht (27.36), who completely missed the start, recorded the second-fastest second 25m but was unable to make up the distance finishing eighth.
Men’s 50m backstroke
World Championships bronze medallist Bobby Hurley is on track to take the men’s 50m backstroke title for the third time.
The 23-year-old was the only semi-finalist to record a sub-24-second swim, hitting the wall in a time of 23.90, ahead of Beijing Olympian and backstroke specialist Ash Delaney, who will progress through to the finals second in 24.17.
World Championship representative Ben Treffers (24.27) was just 0.10 behind Delaney and will go into the final as one of the medal favourites.
Men’s 50m butterfly
After a slow start, Joseph Carty (23.60) was forced to play catch up in his semi-final of the men’s 50m butterfly. However, skilful underwater work allowed him to catch Olympian Chris Wright (23.64) at the wall and take top spot into the final tomorrow night.
Victorian Phil Butcher snuck into third place in a time of 23.76 – just 0.01 of a second ahead of West Coast local Ben Lindsay in 23.77.
Men’s 200m breaststroke
Victorian Jeremy Meyer led from start to finish to take the Australian 200m breaststroke title, winning convincingly in a time of 2:07.46.
The 21-year-old, who recorded an Australian all-time top 10 result in March this year, came agonisingly close to making the World Short Course Championship selection time, only to miss out by 0.9 seconds.
Despite his best efforts, Nicholas Schafer (2:08.07), bronze medallist in this event at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games, couldn’t catch Meyer as he powered through the final 25m.
Bronze medallist from the 100m breaststroke Nikolas Pregelj (2:09.23) kept up with the pace to take bronze.
Women’s 400m freestyle
London Olympian and dual gold medallist in this event from the 2011 World Cup Short Course Blair Evans put in a crowd-pleasing performance in the final of the women’s 400m freestyle.
The Australian record holder and Perth local showed no signs of fatigue as she cruised through the 16 laps to finish just 0.24 outside of the qualification time, in a time of 4:05.49 – almost three seconds clear of her closest rival.
New South Wales swimmers Amelia Gould and Laura Crockart battled for a minor medal with Gould stealing the silver in 4:08.30, leaving Crockart with bronze in 4:09.12.
Men’s 50m freestyle
Olympian Cameron McEvoy has powered his way to his maiden national short course title, taking out the 50m freestyle ‘splash and dash’ in a time of 21.48.
McEvoy led at the turn and beat home World Championship gold medallist Matthew Abood (21.57), who finished in second, with 2010 titleholder Kyle Richardson (21.73) third.
Women’s 200m backstroke
This year’s two-time Australian Age champion Jordan White has won the national women’s 200m backstroke title.
White trailed her namesake Hayley White (2:11.00) through the early stages of the race before making her move at the 75-metre mark.
Jordan White led home a top three that featured 15-year-old Queenslander Lauren Rettie (2:07.77) in second place and Junior Pan Pacific gold medallist Ellen Fullerton (2:08.20) in third. Reigning champion Mikkayla Sheridan finished just outside of the medals in 2:09.11.
Women’s 100m breaststroke
Local product Sally Foster will start from lane four in tomorrow night’s final of the women’s 100m breaststroke.
In her semi-final, Foster trailed Jessica Hansen (1:07.56) to the halfway point before taking the lead to finish in a time of 1:07.01.
Oceanic Championship gold medallist Lorna Tonks (1:07.14), who took out the second semi-final, finished just ahead of 2009 champion Sarah Katsoulis (1:07.31).
Men’s 400m freestyle
Jordan Harrison has claimed his second gold medal for the meet, taking out the men’s 400m freestyle in 3:43.69 – just short of the selection time needed to make the Australian team.
The final featured four men in the mix for a medal, three of whom had never made a senior Australian team.
Harrison chased down 200m freestyle champion Jarrod Killey to take the lead at the second last turn leaving Killey, 16-year-old Mack Horton (3:45.71) and 18-year-old Matthew Levings (3:46.52) all chasing. Killey came close as they approached the finish, lunging at the wall to take silver in 3:43.85.
Horton held on for third, getting the better of Levings at the final turn to claim the bronze medal.
Women’s 100m IM
Fellow Victorians and Junior Pan Pac representatives Kotuku Ngawati (1:00.18) and Samantha Wilkins (1:01.26) went one-two in the women’s 100m individual medley final.
The 18-year-olds matched each other stroke-for-stroke through the four disciplines with Ngawati taking an advantage through the freestyle leg to claim the gold medal and Australian Short Course title.
Queenslander Aisling Scott managed to improve on her fourth placing from the women’s 400m IM with a bronze medal behind Ngawati and Wilkins in 1:01.35.
Women’s 100m backstroke MC
Teneale Houghton has added another gold to her existing meet collection of one gold and one silver, after taking out the final of the women’s 100m backstroke multi class in a time of 1:09.40.
Queenslander Hellen Haseloff was relegated to silver for a second time behind Houghton when she hit the wall in 1:20.11, ahead of bronze medallist Sarah Hilt (2:11.49).
Women’s 100m freestyle MC
Dual gold medallist from the London Paralympics Katherine Downie stepped off the plane and straight into another gold medal in the women’s 100m freestyle multi class final.
Downie defended her 2011 title and put an end to Teneale Houghton’s gold rush when she stopped the clock at 1:02.66, relegating Houghton to silver in 1:01.02. Hellen Haseloff picked up the bronze medal hitting the wall in 1:11.25.
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