2024 Aussie Age Champs Day 5: Age 15 Record Holder Sienna Toohey Impresses with 31.58 Breast

2024 AUSTRALIAN AGE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Monday, April 8th – Sunday, April 14th
• Gold Coast Aquatic Centre, Queensland, Australia
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• Entries
• SwimSwam Preview
• Live Results (Meet Mobile: “2024 Australian Age & MC Age Championships”)
• Day 1 Recap
• Day 2 Recap
• Day 3 Recap
• Day 4 Recap

Friday’s fifth finals session of the 2024 Australian Age Championships at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre featured some of the country’s brightest teens in the pool. For some Aussies, these championships are a stepping stone for next week’s Australian Nationals, as well as the June Australian Olympic Trials. For others, this competition is a qualification opportunity for slots on the Junior Pan Pacific Championships roster.

Sienna Toohey won the age 15 girls 50 breast with a time of 31.58, just ahead of training-mate Isabelle Rae (31.80). Toohey owns the 15-year-old girls age record at 31.34, which she set last month at the NSW Open Championships. With Toohey the current age record holder, and now Rae the third-fastest age group performer, that makes two swimmers from Albury one of three Aussie 15-year-old girls under 32 seconds in the 50 breast all-time.

In the next age group, 16-year-old girls, Hayley MacKinder swam a personal best of 32.05 to not only win her age group in the 50 breast but move up from 9th to 7th all-time in age group event history. On the boys’ side of the 16-year-old 50 breast, Nicholas Stoupas also PB’d a winning time of 28.88 to not only break 29 seconds for the first time but remain the 3rd-fastest age performer all-time.

Moving into 8th all-time for 17-year-olds in the girls 200 fly was winner Poppy Stephen, clocking in a swift 2:10.57. While runner-up Elloise Doolan swam 2:11.40 in finals, her faster prelims effort of 2:10.94 puts her right outside the all-time top ten age performers.

Among the international swim highlights was 14-year-old Singaporean Tedd Windsor Chan, clocking in his nation’s U14 record in the 100 breast at 1:04.81. This overwhelmed the 2017 Singapore U14 record of 1:06.58, but is still a few seconds off Nick Mahabir‘s national record of 59.96. Placing second to Chan was Aussie Oscar Kolenbet, whose time of 1:05.88 ranks 7th all-time in age 15 boys history. Coming in right behind Kolenbet for third at these championships and 8th all-time in age 15 history was Christopher Montana at 1:06.04.

Another international swimmer, 15-year-old Chrissander Cerda of New Caledonia, won two of his age group’s events. In the 50 fly, Cerda won at 25.24, more than a second off his country’s event record of 24.31 by Ethan Dumesnil. Cerda then won the 100 free at 52.27, two-tenths ahead of runner-up Lachlan Davies (52.47), but still more than two seconds off the 2019 New Caledonia national record of 50.46 by Florent Janin.

14-year-old Rohutu Teahui of Tahiti won the age 14 boys 50 back in a personal best time of 26.74. This puts the youngster just 0.54s off his native country Tahiti’s 2023 national record of 26.20 by Keha Desbordes. On the girls’ side, New Zealand’s Alyssa Lawson won the age 14 girls 100 free at 56.79, holding off Aussie Macey Sheridan (57.01).

MORE DAY FIVE HIGHLIGHTS

• Out of the 4×50 free relays, 16-year-old Joshua Conias led off his club’s winning relay with a 22.52, nearly two-tenths up from his previous individual event winning time of 22.35. The age 16 boys 50 free record still remains at 22.33 by Kyle Chalmers.
• Worlds silver medalist Jaclyn Barclay stormed the age 17 girls 100 back with a time of 1:00.19. Barclay’s personal best though stands at 59.28, which ranks 4th all-time in age group history and placed 4th at 2024 Doha Worlds in February.
• Following two grueling races to win (200 fly/800 free), fearless 15-year-old Ava Gaske got her third win this week in the 400 free at 4:18.93.
• 16-year-old Lucas Fackerell completed the 400/800/1500 free sweep for his age group with the session’s 400 free win at 3:57.91, the only swimmer in the field to break 4:00.
• After winning the 200 breast yesterday, Lilla Ribot-de-Bresac flexed her versatility to win a tight age 14 girls 50 fly, winning narrowly at 28.37 over runner-up Macey Sheridan (28.44).
• Following up on her 100 fly win and taking the 400 IM title for age 14 girls was Heidi Shumack, smashing the 5:00 barrier at 4:57.23. Runner-up Eloise McLellan also cracked 5:00 at 4:59.93.
• Putting up a personal best but just missing on cracking both the 1:00 barrier and top ten age performers all-time was 15-year-old Lillie McPherson, winning her age’s 100 fly title at 1:00.54. It would take a swim under 1:00.24 to crack the historical age 15 rankings.
• Another win was earned by 16-year-old Julia Remington, winning her age’s 400 IM final by over six seconds at 4:48.77. Just like McPherson, Remington would need to swim under 4:46.02 to crack the all-time age group top ten rankings.
• Just like McPherson and Remington, 17-year-old Samuel Higgs was just off putting his name in his age’s all-time top ten rankings. Higgs won the age 17 boys 400 IM by over seven seconds at 4:23.18, but is still a second away from entering the all-time age 17 top ten.