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Aussie Emma McKeon Logs 50 Fly Personal Best Plus 53.00 100 Free Post-Injury

2024 VICTORIAN OPEN LONG COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS

We saw day one of the 2024 Victorian Open Long Course Championships unfold with the likes of Olympians Emma McKeon, Kaylee McKeown and Rikako Ikee in the water.

The three-day competition taking place at the Melbourne Sports Centres Outdoor Pool (MSAC) represents one of the major opportunities for Olympic hopefuls to hone their craft ahead of the Australian National Championships in April, as well as the all-important Aussie Olympic Trials in June.

Having trained at Griffith under Michael Bohl since last October, 23-year-old Ikee of Japan looked solid in both the women’s 50m fly and 100m free events this evening.

In the former, Ikee, clocked a time of 25.84 to get to the wall first, out-touching teammate McKeon who settled for silver just .02 behind in 25.86. The pair represented the only racers to get under 26 seconds, with Hazel Ouwehand rounding out the podium in 26.29.

Ikee’s performance was just off the 25.76 notched at the Queensland Championships in December while 29-year-old McKeon’s outing now ranks her just behind Ikee as 11th in the world. In fact, it’s a new PB for Australia’s most decorated Olympian of all time, outperforming her previous career-quickest of 25.87 from 2020.

2023-2024 LCM Women 50 Fly

2Yufei
ZHANG
CHN25.1009/29
3 Melanie
HENIQUE
FRA25.2204/14
4 Rikako
IKEE
JPN25.3304/19
5Arina
SURKOVA
RUS25.3904/17
6Erin
GALLAGHER
RSA25.5904/08
7 Farida
OSMAN
EGY25.6702/17
8Sara
JUNEVIK
SWE25.6806/19
9Emma
MCKEON
AUS25.7004/19
10 Yiting
YU
CHN25.7109/29
10 Angelina
KOHLER
GER25.7102/17
View Top 50»

McKeon got the upper hand in the 100m freestyle later on in tonight’s session, firing off a swift 53.00 to beat the field by over a second.

As we reported, Kaylee McKeown snared silver in 54.35 after her 1:07.01 100m breaststroke gold. Then it was 21-year-old Lani Pallister who was next to touch, hitting 55.07 before Ikee’s 4th-place-worthy 55.45.

Just like that, McKeon now ranks 4th in the world in the 1free. This is a key sign McKeon is back to form after having torn a muscle in her armpit which rendered the 29-year-old withdrawn from December’s Queensland Championships.

2023-2024 LCM Women 100 Free

2Sarah
SJOESTROEM
SWE52.1607/31
3Mollie
O'CALLAGHAN
AUS52.2407/27
4Marrit
STEENBERGEN
NED52.2602/16
5 Torri
HUSKE
USA52.2907/31
View Top 31»

As a refresher for Ikee, the 23-year-old will be returning to her native Japan for the nation’s Olympic Trials taking place next month. She’ll need to drop some hefty time to get under the Japanese Swimming Federation (JASF)-mandated Olympic Qualification Time of 53.12 needed for Paris.

William Yang is also competing off an injury, undergoing back surgery last year. He raced in the men’s 100m free today, producing a time of 48.53 in the heats and a slightly faster 48.52 in the final.

Yang’s personal best sits at the 48.38 registered at the 2022 Commonwealth Games so the fact he’s within .14 of that mark here is a tremendous indication that he’ll be ready to vie for an Olympic berth come June.

Cody Simpson was next to the wall, although well behind in 49.31 while Carter Swift earned bronze in 49.54.

Additional Day 1 Winners

  • Olympian Tamsin Cook topped the women’s 800m free podium in a time of 8:44.68, the sole swim of the field under 9:00. Her PB rests at the 8:43.00 turned in at last year’s Australian National Championships.
  • MLC Aquatic athlete Noah Millard scored 400m free gold in 3:52.33, surpassing his previous PB of 3:53.75 from the 2023 World Trials.
  • The men’s 200m fly saw Griffith’s Bowen Gough get it done for gold in 1:58.01.
  • Former 200m breast world record holder Matt Wilson touched in 27.69 to take the men’s 50m breast.
  • Tara Kinder took the women’s 400m IM in 4:46.95.
  • Olivia Lefoe was the fastest women’s 200m backstroker in 2:14.89.
  • St. Andrew’s Lewis Blackburn reaped 50m back gold in 25.55 this evening.

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Daniel
8 months ago

2.27 for Kinder. Seems to be swimming a lot of races, so that is very solid. Open event at trials.

Majer99
Reply to  Daniel
8 months ago

Was that a pb in the breast after swimming the 400 free and 100 fly in I believe pbs as well?

Daniel
8 months ago

Kaylee with a 58.19 30 minutes after a 4.06 400m. Queen.

Daniel
8 months ago

56.4 Fly for Emma, with a terrible finish 🔥

Troyy
Reply to  Daniel
8 months ago

She was hoping the wall would come to her hah

Majer99
Reply to  Daniel
8 months ago

From a quick check that is her fastest time since the Olympics

Troyy
Reply to  Majer99
8 months ago

She went barely faster at Comm Games (56.38). Results central can’t be trusted.

BennyBD
8 months ago

Emma 56.40 In 100 butterfly.

Majer99
Reply to  BennyBD
8 months ago

with a massive glide to finish so def left some time on the table

Daniel
8 months ago

Lani with a 4.03 in 400m final. Looked like she had a bit in reserve. Kaylee second in a 4.06.

The Kaz
Reply to  Daniel
8 months ago

Kaylee’s 4:06 is a 4 second PB wow!

Stephen Thomas
8 months ago

William Yang looking very solid with a 1:50.29, second-fastest qualifier for the 200 as well!

Gheko
8 months ago

Emma looking very good.

Personal Best
Reply to  Gheko
8 months ago

Managed to watch the race on youtube and she seems smooth.

The time is very good. I don’t know if Victorian Opens have usually had insanely fast times but a 53 is strong.

Sub13
Reply to  Personal Best
8 months ago

It doesn’t typically have fast times. I believe 53.00 is a championship record

Andy
Reply to  Personal Best
8 months ago

It wouldn’t, msac is a horrible pool

Troyy
Reply to  Andy
8 months ago

Only the indoor pool is horrible. There were a lot of world records set in this pool during 2022 SC Worlds.

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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