2024 NSW State Open Championships: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2024 NEW SOUTH WALES STATE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Friday, March 15th – Sunday, March 17th
• Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Center
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• SwimSwam Start List Preview
• Top 5 Races to Watch
• Heats Program
• Live Results
• Results also available via Meet Mobile: “2024 NSW State Open Championships”
• Day 1 Prelims Live Recap | Day 1 Finals Live Recap

We’re entering day 2 of the 2024 New South Wales State Open Championships, a non-selection meet featuring some of Australia’s highest-profile athletes.

As a refresher, this annual competition, along with next month’s Australian National Championships, represents an important stepping stone along the journey to June’s all-important Aussie Olympic Trials.

WOMEN’S 400 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Record – 3:55.38, Ariarne Titmus (2023)
• Australian Record – 3:55.38, Ariarne Titmus (2023)
• Commonwealth Record – 3:55.38, Ariarne Titmus (2023)
• Australian Olympic QT – 4:04.98

GOLD – Ariarne Titmus, 4:02.39
SILVER – Lani Pallister, 4:02.65
BRONZE – Jamie Perkins, 4:10.47

The top 3 seeds out of this morning’s heats retained their positions, as current world record holder Ariarne Titmus of St. Peters Western, Lani Pallister of Griffith and Jamie Perkins of St. Peters Western all landed on tonight’s 400m free podium.

Titmus stopped the clock at 4:02.39 to get the edge over Pallister who was less than half a second behind in 4:02.65. They handily set themselves apart from Perkins who earned bronze in 4:10.47.

This is Titmus’ 2nd gold medal, as the multi-Olympic champion already grabbed gold in the 800m free final last night.

Her 4free lifetime best remains at the 3:55.38 world record notched at the 2023 World Championshps, taking the record back from Canada’s teen phenom Summer McIntosh.

Pallister’s performance this evening was within striking distance of her newly minted personal best of 4:02.07 produced on the 2023 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup circuit. That established a new World Cup record and rendered her the #4 performer in the world this season.

As for 19-year-old Perkins, she won the World Junior title in this event back in September, where she clocked in at 4:05.72.

For comparison, Titmus put up a time of 4:01.94 at this same meet last year, while Pallister posted 4:06.15.

Titmus’ 4:02.39 performance this evening checks her in as the 6th-best swimmer in the world this season.

MEN’S 50 BUTTERFLY – FINAL

• World Record: 22.27, Andriy Govorov (2018)
• Australian Record: 22.73, Matt Targett (2009)
• Commonwealth Record: 22.73, Matt Targett (2009)

GOLD – Matt Temple, 23.54
SILVER – Ben Armbruster, 23.73
BRONZE – Shaun Champion, 23.79

Marion’s Matt Temple bumped himself up from 2nd-seeded status out of the heats to the top of the podium in this men’s 50m fly final.

The 24-year-old punched an effort of 23.54 to log the 2nd-best performance of his career. Only the 23.47 produced at last year’s World Championships Trials was faster.

Bond’s 21-year-old Ben Armbruster settled for silver, with his time of 23.73 adding .09 from his morning outing of 23.80.

Shaun Champion rounded out the podium in 23.79.

Temple’s near-PB is par for the course for the Olympic finalist. At December’s Japan Open, Temple crushed a new Australian and Oceanian record of 50.25 in the 100m fly to put the world on notice for this year’s Olympic Games.

As a reminder from prelims, Kyle Chalmers was entered in this event, along with the 200m free, but wound up not racing either during this morning’s heats.

WOMEN’S 100 BUTTERFLY – FINAL

• World Record – 55.48, Sarah Sjostrom (2016)
• Australian Record – 55.72, Emma McKeon (2021)
• Commonwealth Record – 55.59, Maggie MacNeil (2021)
• Australian Olympic QT – 57.17

GOLD – Emma McKeon, 57.37
SILVER – Alexandria Perkins, 57.71
BRONZE – Isabella Boyd, 58.56

No major shake-ups occurred during this women’s 100m fly, as the top 3 contenders out of the morning heats maintained their positions for this evening’s main event.

29-year-old Emma McKeon, Australia’s most decorated Olympian ever, earned the gold in a time of 57.37 as one of two sub-58-second performers.

The other was 23-year-old Alexandria Perkins of USC Spartans who nabbed silver in 57.71. Nunawading’s Isabella Boyd bagged bronze in 58.56. Perkins already reaped gold last night in the 50m fly.

McKeon opened in 26.76 and closed in 30.61 to get the job done, although she’s already been as quick as 56.40 this season, the time she threw down at last month’s Victorian Championships.

McKeon owns the Australian record in this event, courtesy of the 55.72 put up in 2021. She turned in a time of 57.07 at the 2023 edition of this competition for comparison.

Perkins’ PB rests at the 57.48 put up at December’s Queensland Championships. She raced this 1fly at this year’s World Championships where she registered 57.68 to place 6th in the Doha final.

Kaylee McKeown was originally entered in this event but opted out of the heats.

MEN’S 200 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Record: 1:42.00, Paul Biedermann (2009)
• Australian Record: 1:44.06, Ian Thorpe (2001)
• Commonwealth Record: 1:44.06, Ian Thorpe (2001)
• Australian Olympic QT – 1:45.97

GOLD – Flynn Southam, 1:48.28
SILVER – Maximillian Giuliani, 1:48.53
BRONZE – Alexander Graham, 1:48.71

18-year-old World Championships medalist Flynn Southam of Bond produced a time of 1:48.28 to take this rather subdued men’s 200m free.

Southam split 52.66/55.62 to take the gold, beating out Maximillian Giuliani and Alexander Graham, the #2 and #5 Australian performers of all time in this event.

Miami’s Giuliani secured silver in 1:48.53 while teammate Graham captured bronze in 1:48.71.

Southam retained his title from last year when the then-17-year-old earned gold in 1:47.08. His personal best remains at the 1:46.24 put up at last year’s Australian Age Championships.

Giuliani remains the top-ranked Aussie in the world this season after laying down a 1:44.79 scorcher from December to become the nation’s #2 performer in history.

Top 5 Australian Men’s LCM 200 Freestyle Performers All-Time:

1. Ian Thorpe – 1:44.06, 2001
2. Maximillian Giuliani – 1:44.79, 2023
3. Clyde Lewis – 1:44.90, 2019
4. Thomas Fraser-Holmes – 1:45.08, 2014
5. Alex Graham – 1:45.22, 2021

WOMEN’S 100 BACK – FINAL

• World Record: 57.33, Kaylee McKeown (2023)
• Australian Record: 57.33, Kaylee McKeown (2023)
• Commonwealth Record: 57.33, Kaylee McKeown (2023)

GOLD – Kaylee McKeown, 57.57
SILVER – Mollie O’Callaghan, 58.71
BRONZE – Minna Atherton, 1:01.42

McKeown ripped a time of 57.57 to take the event by over a second tonight in Sydney, logging the 6th-best time of her career in the process.

Griffith’s 22-year-old McKeown opened in 28.27 and brought it home in 29.30 to separate herself from the field, one which included 200m free world record holder Mollie O’Callaghan and SCM 100 backstroke world record holder Minna Atherton.

19-year-old MOC registered a time of 58.71 (28.47/30.24) to snag the silver and Atherton was over the minute mark at 1:01.42 as this evening’s bronze medalist.

MOC was just off her lifetime best of 58.42 clocked at last year’s Australian National Championships. The St. Peters Western star now ranks 5th in the world on the season.

As for McKeown, her 57.57 represents the 6th-quickest performance in history.

Top 10 LCM 100 Backstroke Performances of Kaylee McKeown

1. 57.33, 2023 World Cup
2. 57.42, 2021 Australian Trials
3. 57.47, 2020 Olympic Games
4. 57.50, 2023 Australian Trials
5. 57.53, 2023 World Championships
6. 57.57, 2024 NSW Championships
7. 57.63, 2021 Sydney Open & 2023 World Cup
8. 57.79, 2023 Queensland Championships
9. 57.84, 2023 NSW Championships
10. 57.88, 2020 Olympic Games

Top 10 LCM 100 Backstroke Performances All-Time

1. 57.33 – Kaylee McKeown (AUS), 2023
2. 57.45 – Kaylee McKeown, 2021
3. 57.47 – Kaylee McKeown, 2021
4. 57.50 – Kaylee McKeown, 2023
5. 57.53 – Kaylee McKeown, 2023
6. 57.57 – Regan Smith (USA), 2019 & 57.57 – Kaylee McKeown, 2024
7. –
8. 57.63 – Kaylee McKeown, 2021 & 2023
9. –
10. 57.64 – Regan Smith, 2021 & 2024

MEN’S 100 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

• World Record – 56.88, Adam Peaty (2019)
• Australian Record – 58.58, Brenton Rickard (2009)
• Commonwealth Record – 56.88, Adam Peaty (2019)
• Australian Olympic QT – 59.49

GOLD – Matt Wilson, 1:00.69
SILVER – Haig Buckingham, 1:01.28
BRONZE – Joshua Collett, 1:01.29

After hitting a new lifetime best (27.30) in the heats of the 50m breast yesterday, Olympian Matt Wilson scored the 100m breast victory tonight.

Logging 1:00.69, 25-year-old Wilson of SOSC got the wall in a comfortable advantage over the next 2 finishers Haig Buckingham and Joshua Collett.

Buckingham touched in 1:01.28 and Collett followed in 1:01.29. After Wilson dropped the 50m breast final last night, Collett took the gold in 27.86.

WOMEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

• World Record: 2:18.95, Tatjana Schoenmaker (2021)
• Australian Record: 2:20.54, Leisel Jones (2006)
• Commonwealth Record: 2:18.95, Tatjana Schoenmaker (2021)
• Australian Olympic QT – 2:23.91

GOLD – Jenna Strauch, 2:24.33
SILVER – Matilda Smith, 2:26.67
BRONZE – Tara Kinder, 2:29.00

Miami went 1-2 in this women’s 200m breaststroke as Richard Scarce-trained teammates Jenna Strauch and Matilda Smith took respective gold and silver.

26-year-old Strauch stopped the clock at 2:24.33 to easily win this event, with Smith hitting the wall over 2 seconds later in 2:26.67. Melbourne Victentre’s Tara Kinder also landed on the podium in 2:29.00.

Smith was the only finalist who added time, with her outing this evening over a second off her morning swim of 2:25.48. Her season-best remains at the 2:24.34 notched at the Japan Open last November.

Strauch won the silver medal in this distance at the 2022 Budapest World Championships, and owns a best time of 2:22.22 from that same meet.

Along with her season-best of 2:22.83 from the Budapest stop of the 2023 World Cup, her performance here is a promising step along her path of recovery since bowing out of last year’s World Championships due to injury.

15-year-old Sienna Toohey earned 6th place in a time of 2:31.63, erasing her previous career-quickest 2:33.37 from last summer.

MEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE – FINAL

• World Record: 1:51.92, Aaron Piersol (2009)
• Australian Record: 1:53.17, Mitch Larkin (2015)
• Commonwealth Record: 1:53.17, Mitch Larkin (2015)
• Australian Olympic QT – 1:57.28

GOLD – Se-Bom Lee, 1:59.29
SILVER – Joshua Edwards-Smith, 1:59.54
BRONZE – Marius Boll, 2:01.10

The men’s 200m back was on the pedestrian side, with only 2 swimmers cracking the 2:00 barrier.

Olympian Se-Bom Lee bagged the gold in 1:59.29 and Joshua Edwards-Smith was right behind in 1:59.54.

Marius Boll wrangled up bronze in 2:01.10.

Edwards-Smith missed out on making the World Championship team in 2023, despite that 1:55.42 clocking earlier in the year. He was 2nd to Bradley Woodward at the Trials, ultimately touching in 1:57.29.

The Australian Olympic qualifying time rests at 1:57.28 so this trio has their work cut out for them come June. As it stands today, Woodward is the fastest Aussie, owning a season-best of 1:55.56 from December’s Japan Open, good enough to rank 4th in the world.

WOMEN’S 50 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Record: Sarah Sjostrom, 23.61 (2023)
• Australian Record: Cate Campbell, 23.78 (2018)
• Commonwealth Record: Cate Campbell, 23.78 (2018)
• Australian Olympic QT – 24.67

GOLD – Bronte Campbell, 24.64
SILVER – Emma McKeon, 24.83 & Mollie O’Callaghan, 24.83

2015 world champion Bronte Campbell put up a solid effort of 24.64 to top this women’s 50m free podium ahead of McKeon who touched in 24.83.

McKeon wasn’t alone, as MOC also hit 24.83 to stand alongside her as the silver medalist.

C2 has been as quick as 24.42 in this event thus far this season, a result she turned in on the World Cup circuit. McKeon’s mark represents her season-best while the same holds true for MOC.

Although off the podium, 17-year-old Milla Jansen of Bond established the fastest time of her young career with a 4th place 24.86. That marked her first outing under the 25-second barrier, erasing her previous PB of 25.07.

The top Aussies at this point are Shayna Jack, Cate Campbell and Meg Harris, all of whom rank among the top 10 performers in the world right now. Jack owns a season-best of 24.09 to rank 4th, C1 a time of 24.10 to rank 5th and Harris a  mark of 24.39 to rank 9th as a testament to the depth of sprint freestyle down under.

MEN’S 200 IM – FINAL

• World Record: 1:54.00, Ryan Lochte (2011)
• Australian Record: 1:55.72, Mitch Larkin (2019)
• Commonwealth Record: 1:55.28, Duncan Scott (2021)
• Australian Olympic QT – 1:57.23

GOLD – William Petric, 1:58.78
SILVER – Karl Albertyn, 1:59.79
BRONZE – Clyde Lewis, 2:02.00

19-year-old William Petric of Nunawading put up a shiny new lifetime best en route to winning 200m IM gold.

Petric stopped the clock at 1:58.78 to dip under the 1:59 barrier for the first time in his career. Entering this competition, Petric’s PB rested at the 1:59.29 notched at last year’s World Championships Trials. His performance ranks him just outside the list of top 10 Aussie performers in history.

18-year-old Karl Albertyn also nabbed a big-time personal best tonight, with his silver medal-worthy 1:59.79 overtaking his previous career-quickest result of 2:02.29 from last year.

As for 26-year-old Clyde Lewis, he wound up with the bronze in 2:02.00. The St. Peters Western athlete remains the 7th-best Aussie ever with a PB of 1:58.06 from 2017.

Swimming Australia has set the Olympic selection standard at 1:57.23 in this event, a benchmark no active swimmer has met. The closest to date has been Tommy Neill who owns a PB of 1:57.51 from Fukuoka.

MEN’S 800 FREE – FINAL

• World Record: 7:32.12, Zhang Lin (2009)
• Australian Record: 7:37.76, Sam Short (2023)
• Commonwealth Record: 7:37.76, Sam Short (2023)
• Australian Olympic QT – 7:45.80

GOLD – Matthew Galea, 7:59.96
SILVER – Benjamin Goedemans, 7:59.97
BRONZE – Lachlan Walker, 8:05.37

It was 22-year-old SOSC swimmer Matthew Galea who got his hand ion the wall first in this men’s 800m free.

Galea hit 7:59.96 to win the gold by the slimmest of margins, as St. Peters Western athlete Benjamin Goedemans was right behind in 7:59.97.

The pair separated themselves from the field, with Griffith’s Lachlan Walker rounding out the podium in 8:05.37 this evening.