The fourth day of the 2020 Hancock Prospecting Western Australian Swimming Championships saw a historic record broken as Ruan Van der Riet (UWA-West Coast, c: Michael Shaw) put Men’s Butterfly on notice.
The UWA-West Coast youngster was yet again impressive in the Boy’s 17 Years 200m Butterfly, leading from start to finish, touching in 2:01.48. The performance was on the cards after a solid 100m Butterfly on Night 3 and a very competitive race against Kieren Pollard (North Coast, c: Ian Mills) in the morning session, in which Pollard won with a 2:02.48.
Van der Riets’ performance saw him break the WA Residential Record, which has stood since March 1993, held by William Kirby. With Kirby’s eldest child competing successfully at the Championships, the record has lasted the test of time.
The 2019 Australian Age Champion has big ambition and this performance will send a splash across the country with selection for the 2021 FINA World Junior Championships looming.
Van der Riet’s teammate, Adam Sudlow (UWA-West Coast, c: Michael Shaw) was also dominant this evening, showing why he is one of the best distance swimmers in Australia, in the 1500m Freestyle. As he did at the WA Short Course Championships, Sudlow left the field for dead, splitting 2:01.23, 4:05.95, and 8:14.43 through the 200m, 400m and 800m mark respectively. Sudlow went on to finish in 15:29.06, a 9.5 second personal best and another step in the right direction.
In addition to Sudlow, there was a few impressive performances from the Men’s 1500m Freestyle as Kaiden Richings (Bunbury, c: Elisha Hunt) and Alessio Macri (Scarborough Beach, c: Cam Hawthorn) dropped time off their personal bests. Both Richings and Macri have shot up the National rankings, putting them as ones to watch leading into the Australian Open Water Championships and the Australian Age Championships.
It wasn’t just the up and comers dominating on Night 4, as Brianna Throssell (UWA-West Coast, c: Michael Palfery, WAIS) was impressive in the Women’s 19 & Over 200m Butterfly. Throssell, who has already had a busy schedule, was in a class of her own, winning by almost 8 seconds in a time of 2:11.77. The 2016 Olympian showed off her versatility as she continues to prepare for the 2021 Olympic Trials.
Tegan Reder (UWA-West Coast, c: Robert Palfery) continued her record-setting ways as she claimed Silver in the Women’s 200m Freestyle Multi-Class. Reder was beaten by teammate Jordan Berryman who touched in 2:39.03, however, Reder stole the show, finishing in a time of 3:02.59 and breaking the S11 Australian Age Record.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, 22 December, will see the final day of the Championships with Swimming WA celebrating all things Swimming in a holiday theme. Tune in via SwimTV at 9:00 am AWST to catch all the action and stay tuned on our socials!
