SWIMMING AUSTRALIA OLYMPIC TRIALS

• Saturday, June 12th – Thursday, June 17th
• South Australia Aquatic & Leisure Centre, Adelaide, Australia
• Sole Olympic-Qualifying Opportunity
• 2021 Swimming Australia Olympic Nomination Criteria
• Meet Site
• Final Start List
• Live results
• Qualifying Criteria
• Day 4 Finals Live Stream (Amazon Prime required)

The fourth day of competition at the Australian Olympic and Paralympic trials is underway in Adelaide. Tonight schedule will feature the finals of the men’s 200 breaststroke, women’s multiclass 100 breaststroke, men’s multiclass 100 breaststroke, women’s 200 butterfly, men’s multiclass 100 freestyle, women’s multiclass 100 freestyle, the men’s 100 freestyle, and the women’s 1500 freestyle.

The men’s 200 breaststroke should be a two-man race between Matthew Wilson and Zac Stubblety-Cook. The two are separated by less than a half-a-second after prelims and are over two seconds faster than the rest of the field. Both swimmers will need to drop around two seconds to meet the qualifying time of 2:08.28.

Elizabeth Dekkers was the only swimmer under 2:10 this morning in the 200 butterfly. Her time of 2:08.49 just missed the qualifying time of 2:08.43. The 17-year old Dekkers swam a 2:07.25 back in April and should be under the qualifying time tonight. The race will be for second as behind Dekkers are Brittany Castelluzzo (2:10.21), Brianna Throssell (2:10.25), and Meg Bailey (2:10.75). Of those three, only Throssell has been under the qualifying time.

Kyle Chalmers leads the field in the men’s 100 freestyle. The gold medalist from 2016 swam a 48.58 this morning, slower than his season best of 48.04 from April. It took 49.16 to qualify for finals and three other swimmers besides Chalmers were under 49 seconds this morning. Chalmers should meet the qualifying time of 48.33 and eyes will be on field to see if a second swimmer can dip below that mark.

The women’s 1500 freestyle should be a good race to watch as four swimmers are seeded under the qualifying time with only two available spots for Tokyo.

The qualifying criteria for Tokyo are not quite as black and white as other countries, but swimmers will need to finish in the top two tonight whilst swimming under the Australian Olympic Qualifying Time (equal to 8th place at the 2019 World Championships) to earn an individual spot. For relay consideration, swimmers need to swim in the A-final of the respective event.

The Multi-Class swimmers do not automatically qualify to the Paralympic Games. Australia has a roster cap of 32 swimmers and can only take 17 men and 15 women to Tokyo.

MEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

• World: 2:06.12 26/07/2019 Anton Chupkov, RUS
• Commonwealth: 2:06.67 25/07/2019 Matthew Wilson, AUS
• Australian: 2:06.67 25/07/2019 Matthew Wilson, SOPAC
• All Comer: 2:07.00 16/05/2021 Zac Stubblety-Cook, Chandler
• OQT: 2:08.28

Podium:

1. Zac Stubblety-Cook – 2:06.28
2. Matthew Wilson – 2:08.52
3. Daniel Cave – 2:09.62

Wilson was quick off the start and was first to the 25 meter mark. Wilson would continue to hold his lead and turned first at the 50 in 28.85. Zac Stubblety-Cook moved up the second 50 but Wilson remained in front, turning at the 100 mark in 1:01.35, a full second under world-record pace. Stubblety-Cook made his move over the third 50 and took the lead at the 150 mark 1:34.24. Stubblety-Cook would shake the world-record over the last 50, hitting the wall in 2:06.28 for a new Australian and Commonwealth record and second fastest time ever. Only Anton Chupkov’s world record of 2:06.12 has been faster. Wilson finished second in 2:08.52, missing the qualifying time by .24 seconds.

RANKING SEARCH RESULTS

WOMEN’S 100 BREASTSTROKE MC, SB5-SB14 – FINAL

Podium (by points):

1. Tiffany Thomas Kane – 831
2. Ashley Van Rijswijk – 815
3. Kiera Stephens – 792

Swimmers are competing against the qualifying time in their own classification. The goal is to get as close to the world record in their classification as possible. Kiera Stephens (1:18.26) and Tiffany Thomas Kane (1:33.75) both swam under the qualification time in their respective qualification and improved upon their times from this morning.

MEN’S 100 BREASTSTROKE MC, SB5-SB14 – FINAL

Podium (by points):

1. Jake Michel – 1028
2. Matthew Levy – 835
3. Timothy Disken – 830

Jake Michel‘s time 1:04.35 set a new Australian record for the SB14 classification and met the qualification time for Tokyo. Joining him with a qualifying swim was Blake Cochrane (SB7) who swam a 1:17.26, a bit faster than his 1:17.55 this morning. Paralympic veterans, Matthew Levy and Rick Pendleton, both seeking to qualify for their fifth games, did not meet their qualifying times.

WOMEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – FINAL

• World: 2:01.81 12/10/2009 Liu Zige, CHN
• Commonwealth: 2:03.41 30/07/2009 Jessicah Schipper, AUS
• Australian: 2:03.41 30/07/2009 Jessicah Schipper, Commercial
• All Comer: 2:05.41 7/04/2015 Madeline Groves, SPW
• OQT: 2:08.43

Podium:

1. Brianna Throssell – 2:07.63
2. Elizabeth Dekkers – 2:08.57
3. Laura Taylor – 2:08.74

There was a group four swimmers together as they approached the first 50 wall with Brianna Throssell in the lead at 28.51 followed closely by Elizabeth Dekkers at 28.56. Dekkers would move up on the second 50, turning at 1:00.72 followed by Throssell in 1:01.09. Dekkers would maintain her lead, turning at at the 150 meter mark in 1:33.62, .23 seconds ahead of Throssell. This is where the veteran Throssell made her move. She would find a second gear on the last 50 to split 33.78 to move ahead of Dekkers and finish in 2:07.63. After falling short in a couple of events this week, Throssell is on her way to her second Olympic games. Dekkers would fade over the last 50 to finish outside the qualifying time.

MEN’S 100 FREE MC, S3-S14 – FINAL

Podium (by points):

1. Rowan Crothers – 928
2. Ben Popham – 922
3. Braedan Jason – 873

Compared to the Olympic events, Paralympians can qualify through swimming a qualification time in a B-Final. Not all classifications have the 100 free but swimmers in those classifications are racing for relay spots. Braedan Jason would set an Australian record in 53.27. Ben Popham met a qualifying time swimming 57.37. Paralympic veteran Matthew Levy, who had yet to swim a qualifying this week, swam a 1:02.55 to meet the qualifying time in his final swim.

WOMEN’S 100 FREE MC, S4-S14 – FINAL

Podium (by points):

1. Jasmine Greenwood – 868
2. Natalie Shaw – 816
3. Ellie Cole – 813

Jasmine Greenwood broke her own Australian record, in 1:02.03 for the S10 qualification. Greenwood set the record this morning in 1:02.36.

MEN’S 100 FREE – FINAL

• World: 46.91 18/12/2009 Cesar Cielo, BRA
• Commonwealth: 47.04 11/04/2016 Cameron McEvoy, AUS
• Australian: 47.04 11/04/2016 Cameron McEvoy, Bond
• All Comer: 57.04 11/04/2016 Cameron McEvoy, Bond
• OQT: 48.33

Podium:

1. Kyle Chalmers – 47.59
2. Matthew Temple – 48.32
3. Cameron McEvoy – 48.49
4. Zac Incerti – 48.51

Aside from the individual spots in the 100 freestyle, swimmers are vying for relay spots for Tokyo.

Kyle Chalmers showed that he is ready to defend his Olympic title. Still a young man, Chalmers led early on, turning at the 50 mark in 23.05. Chalmers’s long strokes would pull ahead of the field as he would finish nearly a body length ahead of the field in 47.59. Finishing second behind Chalmers was Matthew Temple at 48.32, who dipped under the qualifying time by .01 seconds. Temple’s set a best of 49.01 in prelims and had a cracking swim in finals. Australian record holder Cameron McEvoy finished in third to put his name into contention for a relay spot in Tokyo and his third Olympic games. Finishing fourth was Zac Incerti who broke 49 for the first time in his career.

Chalmers now ranks fourth in the world this season in the 100 free, behind Kliment Kolesnikov’s 47.31.

RANKING SEARCH RESULTS

WOMEN’S 1500 FREE – FINAL

• World: 15:20.48 17/05/2018 Katie Ledecky, USA
• Commonwealth: 15:40.41 04/08/2015 Lauren Boyle, NZL
• Australian: 15:52.17 04/08/2015 Jessica Ashwood
• All Comer: 15:28.36 24/04/2014 Katie Ledecky, USA
• OQT: 16:02.75

Podium:

1. Maddy Gough – 15:46.13
2. Kiah Melverton – 15:57.14
3. Moesha Johnson – 15:59.96

Through the first 200 meters, there was a pack of four women with Maddy Gough leading the way in 2:05.34. Gough extended her lead slightly over the next 300 meters to lead at the 500 meter mark in 5:15.39. Followed by Gough was Kareena Lee in 5:16.82, Moesha Johnson in 5:17.04, and Kiah Melverton in 5:17.34. Gough would assert her lead over the second 500 as the race would be between the trio of Lee, Melverton, and Johnson for the second spot. At the 1000 meter mark, Gough would have a five second lead as she turned at 10:31.26,  Lee fell off the pace as the the race for second was now between Johnson and Melverton. Melverton, who was slightly behind Johnson throughout the race, made her move on the last 100 to finish in second  and qualify for Tokyo. The Australians showed their depth in this event as the top four swimmers were all under the qualifying time.

Maddy Gough put in a dominating swim to break the Australian record in the event by over six seconds. Gough swam a very even race with 500 splits of 5:15.39/5:15.87/5:14.87. This puts her third in the world this season in the women’s 1500 freestyle.

RANKING SEARCH RESULTS