Chalmers Cracks 2nd Age Group Record Down Under

There were a full 4 events on the second day of the 2012 Australian Age Group Championships, and nearly every one had a spectacular time. However, we’ll peal through and pick out the best-of-the-best and the future stars.

Any discussion of “future stars’ in Australia has to begin with 13-year old Kyle Chalmers. After clearing the 200 free record on day 1 in 1:57, on day 2 he took down the 13 & unders’ mark in the 100 fly with an unbelievable 55.93 – a win by roughly three-and-a-half seconds ahead of Luke Zille (who was impressive enough in his own right breaking a minute in 59.52).

Chalmers’ swim crushes the National Record of 56.77 set by Jayden Hadler in 2007. Hadler, who is now only 18, dominates the age-group record books in the butterfly, but this is the second of his marks that has been taken from him in as many days, after his 14-year olds record was broken on Monday.

This kid doesn’t seem like a future bust either – he boasts a size 15 flipper and has serious sporting pedigree as his father Brett Chalmers is a former professional Australian rules football player.

Olympian Cameron McEvoy continued to swim lifetime bests a month after taper (beit in races he didn’t swim at senior Nationals) with a 55.74 win in the 17-year olds 100 backstroke. He made the Olympic Team in the freestyle races, but I get a feeling that as he ages, we’re going to find out that he’s got another stroke that he could be legendary at.

In the 16-year old girls’ division, we got a lot of big-time swims. In the sprint 50-meter race, Ellen O’Rourke (25.22) and Alexandra Purcell (25.26) were spectacular; not to be dilluted by how good the Campbell sisters were at this age, those are outstanding times for the age (they’re only 16, and the equivalent in yards would likely be NCAA finalists).

In the longer 400 free, Leah Neale was almost as good as her A-Final swim from senior Nationals with a winning 4:10.99. And then again in the 16-year olds 100 breaststroke, Jessica Hansen won in 1:09.57, which is a lifetime best for her. No Taylor Mckeown in this race (she was the other 16-year old who finaled at Nationals) as she’s now aged up since March – but she still took a win on day 2 in the 400 IM with a 4:45.03.

Nicholas Groenewald, who yesterday broke Ian Thorpe’s 200 IM record, picked up another win in the 200 back with a 2:05.36 in the 14-year old boys division. In that same age group, Australia doesn’t have any replenishment on the horizon for a weakened distance group; Joshua Parrish won by a mile, but only in 16:14 (last year’s race was won almost 40 seconds better).

On Monday, I was impressed when a 14-year old broke the minute barrier in the girls’ 100 fly. On Tuesday, I’m even more impressed as 13-year old Lucia Lassman came close with a 1:00.95 win in the 13 & under age group.

In the girls’ 15-year olds 100 freestyle, Ami Matsuo won in 54.88 – the first time she’s broken 55 seconds in her career. Outside of Yolane Kukla and Cate Campbell, that’s the best time we’ve seen out of a seimmer of this age in quite some time.

Also in that 100 free, Sophie Taylor took 2nd in 56.97, and Brittany McEvoy (one of the ever-more-famous McEvoy’s) took 3rd in 57.17.

Full live Meet Results available here. Check them out – lots of fast swimming going down.