Seebohm defends short course title on opening night
Swimming Australia: 25 October, 2018: The first night of finals action at the Hancock Prospecting Australian Short Course kicked off in style with Cam McEvoy and Emily Seebohm amongst the gold medals and teenager Lani Pallister taking out the women’s 800m final.
In what was one of the hottest tickets of the night, Cam McEvoy (TSS Aquatic) pipped 2017 title holder and Olympic gold medalist Kyle Chalmers (Marion) in 46.32 and 46.53 respectively with Rackley’s Louis Townsend (47.11) taking home the bronze.
Emily Seebohm defended her 200m backstroke title in a repeat of her 2017 time of 2:02.72, with Brisbane Grammar teammate Minna Atherton picking up silver in 2:03.26 and Sian Whittaker (Melbourne Vicentre) claiming the bronze in 2:06.21.
Fresh off Junior Pan Pacs gold medal success Lani Pallister (8:13.26) pipped Commonwealth Games gold medalist Ariarne Titmus (8:13.41) in the women’s 800m freestyle in the process with Madeleine Gough (TSS Aquatic) picking up third in 8:15.24.
In a super tight final, Jack McLoughlin (Chandler) took gold in the men’s 400m freestyle in 3:39.03 just ahead of Elijah Winnington (Bond) in 3:39.17, whose time broke the Junior World Record (provisional) with Joshua Parish (TSS Aquatic) taking the bronze in 3:41.08.
Nicholas Brown (UWA West Coast) took out the 200m butterfly securing the gold in a time of 1:52.29 ahead of Bowen Gough (Nunawading) in 1:53.47 and last year’s winner David Morgan (TSS Aquatic) in 1:55.93.
Hometown girl Jessica Hansen (Nunawading) defended her title in the 100m breaststroke in a time of 1:05.49 with Leiston Pickett(Southport) and Jenna Strauch (Bond) picking up silver and bronze respectively in 1:05.94 and 1:06.99.
Commonwealth Games gold medalist Emma McKeon (Griffith Uni) claimed gold in the 100m freestyle clocking up 52:51 with Holly Barratt (Rockingham) taking silver in 53:36 and Carla Buchanan (Acacia Bayside) the bronze at 53:39.
St Peter’s Western’s Abbey Harkins claimed the 400m IM in 4:32.57 with just .02 seconds in it for silver and bronze with Kiah Melverton just touching ahead of Mikkayla Sheridan in 4:35.20 and 4:35.22.
In the multi-class events, Matthew Levy (North Sydney) defended his Australian short course title in the men’s 200m IM final, in a time of 2:35.78, ahead of Auburn’s Ricky Betar (2:11.14) and Kawana Waters’ Liam Schluter in 2:12.91.
In the women’s 200 IM multi-class final Lawnton’s Lekeisha Patterson (2:40.45) won gold followed by Nunawading’s Madeleine Scott (2:34.05) and Sopac’s Jenna Jones (2:36.48).
Olympic gold medalist Rachael Watson took out the 50m freestyle multi-class final in 40.41 with Melbourne’s Ashleigh McConnell claiming second in 29.05 and Lakeisha Patterson third in 30.39.
In the men’s 50m freestyle multi-class the S14 swimmers took the spoils with 15-year-old Beter claiming gold in 24.06 ahead of Daniel Fox (USC Spartans) 24.29 and Jack Ireland 25.10.
With night one drawing to a close the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay saw the TSS Aquatic team (Grayson Bell, David Morgan, Joshua Parrish and Cameron McEvoy) take gold at 3:13.68. Followed by home team Melbourne Vicentre (Benno Negri, Luke Gebbie, Oliver Nash and Jack Gerrard) 3:16.13 for silver ahead of Nunawading (Andrew Rice, Matthew Temple, Bowen Gough and Gill Caiden) 3:16.90.
The final event of the evening the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay was a fight to the finish between Melbourne Vicentre (Isabel Ekelmans, Gabrirella Peiniger, Emma Malcom and Sian Whittaker) 3:42.71 narrowly beating out Nunawading (Julia Hawkins, Kayla Costa, Sophie Caldwell and Mikayla Smith) 3:42.99. Finishing with a bronze MLC Aquatic (Olivia Lefoe, Samantha Schlicht, Dominique Moloney and Alice McRobert) 3:47.65.
Heats begin tomorrow at 10.00am with finals starting at 6.30pm.
The 2018 Hancock Prospecting Australian Short Course Swimming Championships will be livestreamed on the 7plus app.
Please find here a VNR with overlay and interviews and photos attached for editorial use. Please credit Swimming Australia and Delly Carr.