2019 AUSTRALIAN AGE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Mon. April 15 – Mon. April 22, 2019 (Sunday/Monday Multiclass Timed Finals)
- Mon.-Sat. Heats 9 AM / Finals 6 PM (Local Time)
- Multiclass Timed Finals 4 PM Sat., 10 AM/4 PM Sun.-Mon.
- SA Aquatic & Leisure Center, Oaklands Park South Australia
- LCM (50-meter course)
- Meet site
- Live results
16-year-old Joshua Edwards-Smith broke an Australian age record on day 3 of the Age Championships, going 55.01 in the 100 back.
The UWA West Coast swimmer shaved three tenths off a record that had stood since 2014. Interestingly, the Swimming Australia press release noted that the former record-holder, Andrew Lauterstein, was on deck to watch Edwards-Smith’s swim. Lauterstein is a DJ – he goes by “DJ Louderstein” – and was performing at the meet.
One of the other key swims also came from the 16-year-old boys’ division. 16-year-old Rackley swimmer Thomas Neill won his second gold of the Australian Age Championships with a 7:59.05 in the 800 free. That’s a massive drop for Neill, who came in with an 8:09 seed time and was just 8:12 at last summer’s Junior Pan Pacific Championships.
Swimming Australia’s record books don’t currently show national age records for the men’s 800 free or women’s 1500 free, though Neill’s swim appears as the national age record in live results. Those two events were only recently added to the Olympic program, so it’s possible Swimming Australia is just beginning to track them. A quick look at some historical data shows Grant Hackett going 7:50.30 as a 16-year-old back in 1997. He’s the 1500 free record-holder for 16-year-olds, and Ian Thorpe holds both the 200 and 400 free records, so Neill slots in between two giants of Australian swimming history.
Neill was also the 400 free champ this week, and placed second in the 100. He’s the top seed in tomorrow’s 200 free as well, and took silver in the 400 IM today as well. Neill was 4:22.07, behind the winner Thomas Hauck (4:20.58).
14-year-old Elizabeth Dekkers of Newmarket Racers just barely missed a national age record of her own. She was 2:11.37, just .06 off the age record set by Madeline Groves back in 2009. Dekkers won her event by almost three seconds.
There were a handful of repeat winners, as well. Bronte Job won the 50 free on day 2 for the 16-year-olds’ division, and she returned tonight to win the 100 back in 1:00.51. St. Peters Western 14-year-old Ella Ramsay won the 100 free in 55.96 – she was the 200 IM champ on day 1 and set a new age record there. 15-year-old Mollie O’Callaghan won the 50 free for St. Peters Western, going 25.85. She was the 100 free champ yesterday.
Job’s 100 Back was really excellent, previous best of 1:02 and just drops a 1:00 out of nowhere
Many interesting results.
Some 16 year-old swimmers absolutely strong: Josh Edwards-Smith (born in 2003, waiting for his 200 back), Thomas Neill and the most famous in the past years, Thomas Hauck (2003), today one tenth shy Larkin’s national age record in the 400 Im.
Samuel Short (15) at 3.56.05 in the 400 free (waiting for his results in the longer distances).
Also in the 15 year-old category Edward Speller at 23.35 in the 50 free.
On the girls’ side: 14 year-old Dekkers at 2.11.37 in the 200 fly, 16 year-old Bronte Job at 1.00.51 in the 100 back, 15 year-old Jenna Forrester at 4.13.55 in the 400 free, 16 year-old Gabriella Peiniger 2.00.22 in the lead-off… Read more »