Australian Mitell Pratt has cracked his own Australian National Age Record for 18-year olds at the MLC Aquatic Long Course Meet on Saturday in Hawthorn, Victoria.
The meet only featured a small handful of male 200 butterfliers (4 to be specific), but tops among them was Pratt in a 1:56.41. That breaks his own 1:56.70 from January as the fastest time ever done by an Australian junior in the event. The old record coming into this year was a 1:56.9 done by Travis Nederpelt.
He split 55.36-1:01.05 in this race, which is a fast front-half as compared to how most of the world’s elites pace this event.
The swim also vaults Pratt past the defending World and Olympic Champion Chad le Clos into the #2 spot in this year’s World Rankings.
Among the other Australian elites who made appearances at this meet was Pratt’s Tigersharks teammate Josh Beaver, who swept the backstroke races. Beaver had times of 26.17, 55.79, and 1:57.67: all of which are hovering close to his personal bests (especially that 200 back, which will improve his standing in the world’s top 10 this year as well).
The Tigersharks club is pulling more-and-more focus of Australia’s elite swimming as we head toward 2016 under head coach Ben C. Hiddlestone. The program has a lot of resources in place to grow even further as an elite training center down under with two indoor 50m pools for training. Add to the two above Olympian Matson Lawson, who like Beaver is a 200 backstroker and road the team to London, and this is a healthy club worth keeping an eye on.
Maybe 18 years rec but not ‘& under’ . That is Jayden hadler’s 156.29 as a 17 year old in 2011.
Josh beaver narrowly missed out on Olympic selection & took some time off. It is not only the coach these boys have to impress. A lap swimmer in the public lane is the dad of ten times national 100m champ Nicole Livingstone & one who might have watched a few back races.