2023 AUSTRALIAN AGE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- April 7-15, 2023
- Gold Coast Aquatic Centre, Southport, AUS
- LCM (50 meters)
- Championship Central
- Live Stream
- Live Results
- Day 1+2 Recap
- Day 3 Recap
The fourth day of the 2023 Australian Age Championships at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre featured more incredible swimming from Australia’s best and brightest junior swimmers.
Monday’s action saw 17-year-old Isabella Boyd put on a show, winning two events on the day. Boyd kicked things off with a new personal best en route to winning the girls 17 200 IM, tearing into the finish in 2:14.30. The swim took nearly a second off of her previous best of 2:15.10. Jaime Lutiis had a phenomenal swim as well in finals, taking second with a 2:14.94. Lutiis entered the day with a seed time of 2:18.85 and ended up taking nearly four seconds off that mark. She sat behind Boyd for the entirety of the race in finals, but came home in a speedy 31.36 on the final 50 and started inching up on Boyd as they sped towards the finish.
Boyd would then go on to win the girls 17 50 fly as well, speeding to a 26.73 to touch the wall first by nearly a second. That time clipped Boyd’s previous best of 26.86 by 0.13 seconds. Despite the double she was working, Boyd put up two great swims in the 50 fly today, going 26.93 in prelims before clocking her 26.73 in finals.
16-year-old Taryn Roberts pulled off a very rare double on day four, winning the girls 16 200 breast then going on to win the girls 16 1500 free as well. First up was the 200 breast, where Roberts clocked a 2:34.83 to finish first by two seconds. For Roberts, the swim marked a new career best by well over a second, beating out her previous mark of 2:36.40. She swam a very consistent race, going 35.53 on the first 50, then splitting 40.17, 40.71, and 40.89 respectively on the final three 50s.
Roberts then went on to swim a new personal best of 16:46.35 in the 1500 free. Not only did she win the girls 16 event, Roberts also clocked the fastest in the 1500 when all the 15 and 17-year-olds were included as well. She entered the meet with a seed time of 16:52.19 and took nearly six seconds off that mark even with the double she was swimming.
There were a pair of fantastic girls 50 backstrokes today as well. 16-year-old Jaclyn Barclay won the girls 16 50 back convincingly, throwing down a blistering 27.94. The performance took nearly half-a-second off her previous best of 28.40, which Barclay also happened to tie in prelims this morning. As such, her swim in finals marked her first time under 28 seconds in the event.
15-year-old Ainsley Trotter was also excellent in the 50 back, winning the girls 15 event with a 28.09. The performance marked a huge personal best for Trotter, who entered the meet with a top mark of 28.74.
Though he only raced in a relay today, Bond’s Flynn Southam, 17, a Commonwealth Games relay gold medalist last summer, had a great day as well. Southam anchored Bond’s boys 16-17 4×50 medley relay to victory in a scorching 22.26, marking an excellent swim for the rising freestyle star. Kody Byrne led the team off in 27.12, Gideon Burnes swam a 28.70 on breast, and Kalani Creech split 24.93 on fly. The Bond boys won the relay in 1:43.01.
Notably, Byrne and Burnes were both individual champions on the day as well. Byrne won the boys 16 50 back in 26.80 earlier in the session, marking a new personal best. Byrne was pretty consistent in the event today, swimming a 26.88 in prelims, then a 26.80 in finals, and finishing it off with his 27.12 on the relay.
Burnes was the winner of the boys 17 200 breast, swimming a 2:15.49. He won the event by over six seconds, taking well over three seconds off his personal best of 2:19.28 in the process.
After winning the boys 18 400 free yesterday, Benjamin Goedemans took the boys 18 800 free tonight, speeding to a new career best of 7:59.26. The swim marks Goedemans’ first time under 8:00 in the event.
DAY 4 EVENT WINNERS
- Girls 16 50 Back: Jaclyn Barclay (STPET) – 27.94
- Boys 17 50 Back: Joshua Kerr (MNLY) – 26.34
- Girls 17 200 IM: Isabella Boyd (NUN) – 2:14.30
- Boys 18 200 IM: Evan Chee (NUN) – 2:03.49
- Girls 13 50 Free: Macey Sheridan (DAR) – 26.63
- Boys 14 50 Free: Lachlan Davies (WASC) – 24.12
- Girls 14 200 Back: Mackenzie Grimes (TGSC) – 2:18.89
- Boys 15 200 Back: Jack Morrow (PROP) – 2:04.34
- Girls 15 50 Back: Ainsley Trotter (STPET) – 28.09
- Boys 16 50 Back: Kody Byrne (BOND) – 26.80
- Girls 16 200 Breast: Taryn Roberts (ROCKC) – 2:34.83
- Boys 17 200 Breast: Gideon Burnes (BOND) – 2:15.49
- Girls 17 50 Fly: Isabella Boyd (NUN) – 26.73
- Boys 18 50 Fly: Enoch Robb (ALLSA) – 24.18
- Girls 13 200 Fly: Heidi Shumack (SOSC) – 2:22.72
- Boys 14 200 Fly: Kayden Gibson (GLASO) – 2:07.28
- Girls 14 50 Free: Lillie McPherson (MNLY) – 26.04
- Boys 15 50 Free: Joshua Conias (SOMAQ) – 23.58
- Girls 15 1500 Free: Daisy Quinn (SCGS) – 17:33.08
- Girls 16 1500 Free: Taryn Roberts (ROCKC) – 16:46.35
- Girls 17 1500 Free: Sienna Deurloo (TGSC) – 16:59.84
- Boys 16 800 Free: Ike Martinez (RACKL) – 8:09.70
- Boys 17 800 Free: Johann Szymanski (HLDR) – 8:03.41
- Boys 18 800 Free: Benjamin Goedemans (STPET) – 7:59.26
According to an article at the other swimming website Southam is targetting both worlds and junior worlds this year.
“And for Bond University’s Southam, the chance to race at both the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka in July and then World Juniors in Israel in September.”
It’ll be good for him to get more international experience leading into Paris.
Do we send people to both? I thought typically juniors picked one or the other.
No other juniors would be on the radar for senior worlds would they?
That’s what I thought but the junior worlds selection criteria don’t exclude those selected for worlds and the author of the article is pretty well connected so I doubt he’s wrong.
yes, but swimming australia hasn’t sent many to both in the past. the only examples I can think of are:
chalmers (2015): went to worlds as a relay swimmer and had a full program at junior worlds
mckeown (2018): went to comm games and pan pacs, then was on the youth olympic team
southam (2022): went to comm games and junior pan pacs
the rationale behind these selections, particularly with chalmers and southam, seems to be that they had limited international experience.
otherwise, juniors tend to go to one meet or the other. in 2017, titmus and mckeown went to worlds, but didn’t go to junior worlds despite having limited experience. but it’s possible that they simply declined… Read more »
49.82 Edward Sommerville lead off
47.95 Flynn Southam anchor
54.21 split by Jaimie de Lutiis
Looks like you were right about a 54 from her
She could be the fourth leg in the 4×1 at junior worlds unless someone else surprises.
Looks like Wunsch is 16th this year in the 50 free so far, tied with Haughey
Based on her split yesterday Jansen probably has a faster swim in her.
Any Potential sub 54 for any of these swimmers in the 100?
Wunsch if she’s racing in the relays
24.85 from Wunsch 👀👀
Boom! That was a race! 0.34 PB. And after swimming a 200IM.
Jansen and Casey a touch off their best but nothing concerning.
Now fingers crossed for a Southam PB!!
Southam 0.04 of his PB with 22.40. He has another chance next week.
His 400 was a 2.5 second PB earlier in the week so hopefully that means his 100 and 200 have improved too.
I can’t imagine Southam would be aiming to peak at age champs or open champs but if he doesn’t he’ll miss his chance to take Chalmers’ age records because he ages up before trials.
Yeah true. Maybe I’m being greedy but I want PBs even if he isn’t rested haha.
If he’s completely unrested then his results so far are phenomenal.
29.09 (unofficial age record) from 15 yo Nicholas Stoupas in 50 breast
Macey Sheridan looks every bit as good as advertised. Such a tall 13 year old too, which helps.
Breatstroke really seems to be on the improve among the young girls.
13 yo Georgia Edwards 50 breast 33.08 (new unofficial age record) and the next two finishers also not far from the record.
Lol we both posted this at the exact same second.
Not that I don’t appreciate Hodges and Strauch but I am keeeen for some sprint breastrokers to come through!
It’s really interesting the sudden influx compared to last year when there was no one aged 15 or younger who went under 1:10 in the 100 and this year there’s three already (Mackinder, Pope and Strachan).
And Pope lowers the time again, and now Stoupas takes the fastest ever 15 year old 50 Breast for the boys
Me too. And some fast butterfly swimmers in both women’s and men’s events.
I believe Georgia Edwards just became our fastest 13 year old ever with a 33.08 50 Breast