2022 AUSTRALIAN AGE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Wednesday, April 13th – Monday, April 18th (able-bodied)
- SA Aquatic & Leisure Centre, South Australia
- LCM (50m)
- Live Results
- Livestream: Amazon Prime
Look for a full day’s recap to be published shortly.
While competing on the first day of able-bodied competition at these 2022 Australian Age Championships, 16-year-old Flynn Southam crushed a new lifetime best in the men’s 200m free.
Roaring to the wall in a mighty 1:46.77, Southam not only destroyed the field en route to his national age title here in South Australia, but he came within striking distance of a legendary age record held by icon Ian Thorpe.
After establishing himself as the top-seeded swimmer of the morning heats with a convincing AM time of 1:50.64, Bond’s Southam dropped the hammer and split 52.23/54.4 to capture the fastest time of his younger career.
Entering this meet, Southam had been as fast as 1:48.72 from last December’s Queensland Championships, while the had already been under 1:50 with 1:49.66 as a 15-year-old.
Flash forward to now, and Southam’s time of 1:46.77 is less than a second off of Thorpe’s 1:46.00 age record the multi-Olympic champion put on the books more than 20 years ago.
For additional perspective, Southam’s scorcher here would overtake the current American national age record for men 15-16. Luca Urlando owns the top time for Americans in that age range, having clocked a time of 1:47.73.
Southam’s outing here now renders him within the top 20 200m free performers in the world this season, as well as Australia’s 17th fastest performer of all time.
You can refresh yourself here on Southam’s journey to date, as the teen is among our stealthy six disruptors set to potentially cause some podium shakeups at the next Olympic Games in Paris.
As fast as Southam’s time is, it’s important to note that Romanian prodigy David Popovici posted a time of 1:44.68 from the Olympic final in Tokyo where he placed 4th.
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he just broke chalmers’ 100 free record – 48.60 (23.83/24.77)
Southam breaks Chalmers’ 16 year old age record 48.60 (23.83/24.77)
Anders McAlpine would also slip into #10 in the age rankings with his 50.50.
Nah close but no cigar. 11th.
Unlucky to be up against flynn
I hope he can make headway in the 100 free .. Australia’s male sprint stock is rather low
This is one brilliant swim, while he is 2 seconds behind Popovici now, lets judge him at the end of his 16 year, not at the age championship time.
He seems to age up somewhere in May or June so he may or may not have another chance at trials.
I was trying to find out how old he was before I posted.
He ages up early June
If only Swimming Australia would update their top 10 age group rankings (last updated Feb 2020). It’s ridiculous.
And correct their errors and duplications
They shouldn’t even been maintained manually.
2nd fastest in Australian history by 2 seconds. Just for reference, 3rd fastest swim is a 1.48.76 from Elijah Winnington. Flynn Southam is a name we will be remembering for sure, just an incredible swim. (PS: Ian Thorpe’s records are just nuts)
Imagine swimming the 7th fastest all-time Australian Age time and not getting a mention, I feel for Anders McAlpine who swam a wonderful time (1.49.31) in the same race….god job young man.
Anders will do well in 400-800 imo
Knocking Mack Horton out of the top ten. Effort
What a beast