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
- Day 4 Recap
The fifth day of the 2023 Australian Age Championships saw a pair of Australian Age Records nearly go down, both coming in the 50 free.
Rising Australian sprint star Flynn Southam tore to victory in the boys 17 50 freestyle on Tuesday night, touching the wall in 22.40. The swim was just off Southam’s career best of 22.36, and just 0.25 seconds off Kyle Chalmers‘ Age Record mark of 22.15, which was set in 2015. The swim also came after Southam clocked a speedy 22.26 relay split (off a relay start) in a relay on Monday night.
Another one of the stars of the session was 16-year-old Olivia Wunsch, who was the lone double-event-winner of the night. Wunsch kicked things off with a decisive victory in the girls 16 200 IM, swimming a 2:15.91. She got out to a lead on the first 100m, splitting 28.04 on fly and 34.88 on back for a 1:02.92 on the front half. Wunsch then put up a respectable 40.99 breast split, then came home in a speedy 32.00 on free, for a 1:12.99 on the second 100. She touched first by over three seconds, with Taryn Roberts, who has already won three events at these championships, coming in second at 2:19.27.
Wunsch then went on to win the girls 16 50 free by a healthy margin as well, sprinting to a new career best of 24.85. Not only did the performance mark Wunsch’s first time under 25 seconds in the LCM 50, she also came within 0.17 seconds of women’s sprint star Cate Campbell‘s Australian Age Record for 16-year-olds. Campbell’s record mark of 24.68 has stood since 2009.
Another excellent performance on the night came from 17-year-old Amelia Weber, who took the girls 17 200 free in a sizzling 1:58.42. Coming in with a seed time of 2:00.05, the swim was massive for Weber, taking her well under the 2:00 mark. She’s just the latest young Australian to put together an incredibly well-swum LCM 200 free, splitting 58.48 on the first 100m, then tacking on splits of 30.55 and 29.39 respectively on the final two 50s, for a 59.94 on the final 100m.
Also of note, Jaimie de Lutiis came in second in the girls 17 200 free, tearing to a 1:59.59 to break 2:00 as well. De Lutiis came into the meet with a seed time of 2:03.54, so she took an astonishing 3.95 seconds off her seed time with her finals swim.
Edward Sommerville had an excellent 200 free as well, winning the boys 18 200 free with a 1:49.37. The performance clipped Sommerville’s personal best in the event, which stood at 1:49.69.
There was an incredible race in the boys 17 200 IM between Karl Albertyn and Joshua Kerr, who finished in 2:02.29 and 2:02.45 respectively. It was a truly phenomenal race between the teenagers, seeing the lead change a couple times. They were out with nearly identical fly splits, as Albertyn was 26.42 and Kerr was 26.44, just 0.02 seconds behind. Albertyn then expanded his lead slightly, splitting 31.26 on backstroke to Kerr’s 31.59, which put Albertyn into the 100m turn in 57.68, 0.35 seconds ahead of Kerr. Breaststroke was bug for Kerr seeing him take the lead with a 34.95 split to Albertyn’s 35.49. Albertyn was trailing by 0.19 seconds coming into the final 50, but came home in 29.12, which was enough for him to get his hand on the wall just ahead of Kerr. Both swimmers established new career bests with the performances.
After an excellent performance in the 100 breast earlier in the meet, 14-year-old Olympia Pope was on fire tonight in the girls 14 50 breast, winning the event in a scorching 32.24. The finals performance came after Pope swam a 32.33 in prelims. With the swims, Pope set new Queensland Age Records, having done so first in prelims, then lowering the mark in finals.
13-year-old Georgia Edwards was also incredible in the 50 breast, winning the girls 13 event with a 33.08. The time was so quick that she would have finished fourth in 14-year-old 50 breast tonight as well.
DAY 5 EVENT WINNERS
- Girls 13 100 Back: Macey Sheridan (DAR) – 1:03.69
- Boys 14 100 Back: Logan Rieck (NWD) – 58.57
- Girls 14 100 Fly: Lillie McPherson (MNLY) – 1:00.08
- Boys 15 100 Fly: Cash Milner (KPD) – 55.88
- Girls 15 50 Free: Ainsley Trotter (STPET) – 25.66
- Boys 16 50 Free: Marcus da Silva (CRAN) – 23.37
- Girls 16 200 IM: Olivia Wunsch (CARL) – 2:15.91
- Boys 17 200 IM: Karl Albertyn (MIAMI) – 2:02.29
- Girls 17 200 Free: Amelia Weber (STPET) – 1:58.42
- Boys 18 200 Free: Edward Sommerville (BGRAM) – 1:49.37
- Girls 13 50 Breast: Georgia Edwards (SCGS) – 33.08
- Boys 14 50 Breast: William Brownlie (MLCM) – 31.25
- Girls 14 50 Breast: Olympia Pope (MIAMI) – 32.24
- Boys 15 50 Breast: Nicholas Stoupas (MVC) – 29.09
- Girls 15 200 Fly: Mikayla Bird (BOND) – 2:12.76
- Boys 16 200 Fly: Ike Martinez (RACKL) – 2:01.71
- Girls 16 50 Free: Olivia Wunsch (CARL) – 24.85
- Boys 17 50 Free: Flynn Southam (BOND) – 22.40
- Girls 17 50 Back: Semra Olowoniyi (DVE) – 29.25
- Boys 18 50 Back: Ryder Lambert (STHPT) – 26.20
- Girls 13 400 Free: Olivia Galea (STPET) – 4:30.12
- Boys 14 400 Free: Luke Higgs (WASC) – 4:06.17
- Girls 14 200 Free: Ava Gaske (CHAND) – 2:03.91
- Boys 15 200 Free: Kai Gilbert (STPET) -1:52.82
- Girls 15 100 Back: Zoe Ammundsen (IONA) – 1:02.04
- Boys 16 100 Back: Nicholas Gladen (MQU) – 58.05
32.24 for Mackinder in the 50. She went out in 32.73 ! in her 200 (that’s almost as fast as Jenna Strauch at worlds last year despite a much slower 50 PB). Maybe she can crack the 2:30 barrier next week with a more conservative first 50.
Yeah I thought she went out way too fast in that 200. Definitely capable of a better time
It’s a shame Southam hasn’t continued developing his backstroke.
If you’re going to be a star then the 100/200 Free is the ideal combo (not that that means you can’t do other strokes too). If he continues his upward trajectory that gives him potentially 3 Olympic relays plus MFR at world champs.
I mean if he were American he’d still be training backstroke. Russian also see Kolesnikov, Rylov. Australians specialise too much. Ceccon another free/back swimmer.
Yeah that’s fair. Other than free/fly which is the most common combo, I can’t really think of any Aussies who swam multiple strokes off the top of my head.
Cooper swims 50 free/fly on top of back. Bell does 50 free/breast. And of course Mollie and used to be Madi. That’s all I got.
Cartwright another strong backstroker that turned into a free specialist. Held the 18 yo 100 back age record until Cooper broke it.
Enoch Robb (18) just made the top 10 all time Australian list in 50 fly and 100 back this week. He still has a few races to go.
Yep, he had a big time drop in the 1back. Looking forward to his 2back and 1fly now. That’s what made me think of Southam who went 55 at 15.
Yeah, there were a few free/fly sprinters who did well – Trickett being the most successful recently-ish, and O’Neill another one. Mills also swam free and fly – but mostly got stuck behind the big names at the time in each event. She also swam IM and was the Comm Record holder for a brief moment.
Before that Giann did well in back and free, right?
I think MOC now will probably try her luck across both strokes at the same time.
Of course I forgot about McKeon – perhaps the most dominant free/fly swimmer in Australia recently, but again that goes to your point about free/fly cross-over.
Edward Sommerville just split 48.68 anchoring a medley 🔥🔥
That’ll certainly come in handy at Junior Worlds
47.91 for Flynn.. back to back 47s split after last night
Sub 15:30!
How long until Macey Sheridan makes the move to a top Brisbane swim team? I’m sure the phone calls are already being made.
This night started slow…but really picking up fast
That’s another super swim in the 14 Fly…4th fastest ever
So Sheridan seems quite good in three strokes but she’s not entered in any breast events …
Im sorta glad she hasn’t
Records Broken are the:
- Open 200m Mixed Medley Relay Record – Bayleigh Young, James Smith, Sienna Walo and Tamsyn Walo
- Open 400 m Female Freestyle Relay Record – Tamsyn Walo, Melissa Roberts, Macey Sheridan and Sienna Walo
- Open 400 m Female Medley Relay – Tamsyn Walo, Izabella Demasi-Chapman and Macey Sheridan
- 12 Years 50 m Backstroke Female Record – Macey Sheridan
- 12 Years 100m Female Freestyle Record – Macey Sheridan
- Open 100m Breaststroke Female Record – Sienna Walo
- Open 50 m Breaststroke Female Record – Sienna Walo
- Open 100 m Breaststroke Female Record – Macey Sheridan
- Open 50 m Backstroke Female Record – Macey Sheridan
- Open 50 m Freestyle Female Record – Sienna Walo
- 13 Years 100 m Backstroke Female Record
… Read more »Are these state records..?
Technically Territory records as NT isn’t a state!