Mainstone adds 5km event to World Championship program
Swimming Western Australia
Published: Feb 11, 2013 06:00:25 PM Updated: Feb 12, 2013 01:40:36 PM
Mainstone adds 5km event to World Championship program
2012 World Cup Champion Rhys Mainstone has gained selection into his second event at the World Championships in Barcelona after finishing second in the men’s 5km event at the 2013 Australian Open Water Championships at Lake Macquarie yesterday morning.
As the first event of the day came to a close, the lead pack of the men’s open 5km race put on a spectacle for the excited early risers on the shoreline.
As the competitors approached the final buoy, eight swimmers turned together and stormed towards the finish gate.
With less than 50m to go there was still no clear leader and the swimmers were desperately scrambling for prime position to get the best touch.
Eventually, Jared Poort (56:48.96) made his move hitting the finish gate solidly to edge out Saturday’s 10km Champion Rhys Mainstone (56:49.81) by 0.85 of a second to narrowly take the title.
Coming in just 0.07 of a second behind Mainstone and picking up the bronze medal, was 22-year-old Sam Sheppard (56:49.88) from Surrey Park in Victoria. Saturday’s 10km silver medalist Simon Huitenga (56.51.50) backed up his World Championship selection swim to finish out of the medals in fourth spot. With the battle for top ten placing’s proving a turbulent tussle, Maintsone’s teammate Paul Laver put in a gallant effort to finish strongly in 56:51.89 and secure sixth position.
The race was anyone’s for the taking with the top six finishers all recording times within three seconds of each other.
In the women’s open 5km event, 17-year-old Bonnie Macdonald (59:31.58), along with Danielle De Francesco (59:37.82) and Leah Cutting (1:00.34.17), broke away early from the main pack to hold the lead for the majority of the race.
London Olympian Heidi Gan (Perth City) managed to hold off contests from late chargers to claim seventh position with a time of 1:01:32.44.
Saturday’s 15-year-old 10km champion Brett Fielding has successfully claimed the distance double after taking out the 5km event in 1:03:09.40. Defending champion Fielding (Perth City) faced a tough field in the shorter distance event, the 15-year-old taking the lead early and being chased down from the start to finish 0.2 seconds ahead of his nearest rival.
In the boy’s 16-year-old 5km event, Western Sprint’s Jack Osborne was unlucky to finish out of the medals, settling for fourth position in an impressive time of 1:00:20.96. Osborne’s teammate Lachlan Tassell rounded out the top ten finishers, finishing fast in 1:03:11.46.
UWA’s Sacha Downing has made it two from two, backing up from Saturday’s gold medal winning performance in the 10km event to secure her second gold of the Championships in the 5km event. Downing, who only took up open water swimming in 2011, was in a league all her own as she stretched out a three second lead to finish in 1:04:24.18.
After settling for fourth in the 10km, Breaker’s Grace Hull has claimed her maiden Australian Open Water Championship medal in the girl’s 14-year-old 5km event. Hull was edged out by 0.1 seconds by Saturday’s 10km overall female winner and Olympian Melissa Gorman defeater, Chelsea Gubecka.
For a list of WA competitor results, please click here
For a full list of results go to swimming.org.au
Age group results:
Boy’s 17/18 years 5km
1 Oscar Breakwell, 18, Yeronga Park QLD 59:50.10
2 (Visitor) Harry Smith, 17, TSS Aquatics QLD 59:50.20
2 Chris Deegan, 17, Burnside SA 59:52.72
3 Sam Warrick, 17, Surrey Park VIC 59:58.99
Boy’s 16 years 5km
1 Lachlan Colquhoun, 16, Unattached
2 Thomas Wood, 16, Surrey Park VIC
3 Ollie Signorini, 16, Sea Eagles NSW 1:00.10.86
Girl’s 17/18 years 5km
1 Kate Hofmeyer, 17, Marion SA 1:05:18.65
2 Emma Payne, 17, The Hills NSW 1:05:58.40
3 Sarah Todd, 17, Grace QLD, 1:06:36.02
Girl’s 16 years 5km
1 Meg Bailey, 16, Hunter NSW 1:05:24.11
2 Kaylie Ekinci, 16, Campbelltown NSW 1:05:53.48
3 Jessica Bayliss, 16, Mountain Creek Maloolaba QLD 1:06:38.53
Boy’s 15 years 5km
1 Brett Fielding, 15, Perth City WA 1:03:09.40
2 Liam Humphreys, 15, Melbourne Vicentre VIC 1:03:09.61
3 Lachlan May, 15, Surrey Park VIC 1:03:12.49
Boy’s 14 years 5km
1 Cody Paterson, 14, St Peters Western QLD 1:02:48.89
2 Joel Walker, 14, Trinity Grammar NSW 1:03:11.72
3 Bradley Woodward, 14, Mingara NSW 1:03:54.99
Girl’s 15 years 5km
1 Sacha Downing, 15, UWA Uniswim WA 1:04:24.18
2 Emily Readshaw, 15, Mountain Creek Maloolaba QLD 1:07:48.18
3 Phoebe Dammersmith, 15, Surrey Park VIC 1:07:55.55
Girl’s 14 years 5km
1 Chelsea Gubecka, 14, Mountain Creek Maloolaba QLD 1:04:20.49
2 Grace Hull, 14, Breakers WA 1:04:30.84
3 Sarah Thompson, 14, Kawana Waters QLD 1:05:47.14
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