2021 SWIMMING QUEENSLAND MEDAL SHOTS LC PREP MEET
- November 11th – November 14th
- Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- LC (50m)
- Results – Meet Mobile
The Swimming Queensland Medal Shots Long Course Preparation Meet took place over the weekend in Brisbane with Olympians Mitch Larkin and Taylor McKeown among the racers. Rising star Elizabeth Dekkers was also in the water, giving us a glimpse as to what the upcoming 2021/22 season will look like.
Of note, 28-year-old Larkin now represents Chandler Swimming Club, after having spent his lead-up to the Tokyo Olympic Games with Dean Boxall. Boxall, the famed coach of multi-Olympic medalist Ariarne Titmus, is stationed at St. Peters Western also in Brisbane. We’ve reached out to Larkin to find out more on his move.
Larkin had a relatively disappointing Olympic Games, having entered the competition as a strong medal contender in the 100m back and the 200m IM after having decided to drop the 200m back from his lineup. However, Larkin wound up missing the podium in Tokyo, finishing 7th in the 1back and not even making the final in the 200m IM despite owning one of the top times in the world in 2021.
At this meet in Queensland, Larkin put up baseline times in the 100m back, 100m free, 200m IM and 50m fly, reaping gold in all but the latter. Larkin clocked 55.29 in the 100m back, 51.27 in the 100m free and 2:04.31 in the 200m IM.
As for 26-year-old McKeown, she took the women’s 100m breaststroke in a time of 1:11.39, while 17-year-old Dekkers posted efforts of 2:08.51 in the 200m fly, 28.29 in the 50m fly and 59.79 in the 100m fly to top the podium across each event.
The next major competition within Queensland comes in December with the Queensland Championships.
While he has had a disappointing Tokyo Olympics not sure why some people are really hating on Larkin .. he has had more success on the intl stage than a plethora of other male swimmers not named Chalmers or Horton
Both Alexander Graham and Kaylee McKeown are now training with Dean Boxall, so he must be doing something right
Saw the quote below in a recent article, and I thought it fascinating that Titmus nevertheless chose to swim for Dean Boxall. But when a coach’s top swimmer is saying this, it is probably best to move on. Good luck Mitch–you have always been a class act!!
“In an interview that covered everything from Titmus’ 2014 Junior Sports Award victory to her first meeting with coach Dean Boxall, in which she described him as “a nutcase”, the Launceston-born swimmer had the crowd’s attention.”
https://www.examiner.com.au/story/7506369/ariarne-titmus-offers-inspiration-to-budding-junior-athletes/
Never miss a chance for some Dean Boxall slander, do we?
Yes
Very classy with the whole Seebohm affair.
David Morgan has gone to Miami too, can’t see them making Paris but may be pushing on for Comm Games.
The problem is that Australia doesn’t have another male backstroker, so Mitch might actually still be in our top 2. We desperately need a male Kaylee to pop up in the next few years!
If I could choose two great swimmers to improve the team overall, a male backstroker and male 100 breaststroker would be ideal. Might actually give us a chance in men’s and mixed medley.
Isn’t there a young Issac Cooper who swam in the Olympics 100 back semis only 17 years old.
There is a bunch of good young backstrokers especially in QLD, and all are on sharp improvement curves except for ones that are already really fast.
I’d be shocked if it’s still a weak event in 2024.
Making a semi final at 17 doesn’t guarantee anything
“Larkin had a relatively disappointing Olympic Games” is a recurring theme, regardless of coach. Lots of talent, but a head case.
How are you drawing that conclusion? seems like a huge stretch to accuse him of being a headcase
None of his best times in any event in any course have ever been when it counts most at the Olympics and WCs (look it up). He’s a stud when the money’s not on the line with with the exception of that one-off anomaly of WCs 2015. Basically the male version in individual events of C1. Often favored, never delivered.
He did 100 back gold SCWC14, the backstroke double at WC15, 100 back gold at SCWC16, Silver in 100 back in Rio, four individual golds including the backstroke triple at CommGames 18.
Yeah, he hasn’t always performed at the big meets, but I think it’s a bit of a stretch to just call him a head case. He’s a multiple world champion and multiple world record holder.
He’s not a world record holder any more, and, again, show me when he’s done a best time at a WC or Olympics, and who cares about the Commonwealth Games. When you’re arguing he’s not a headcase by throwing in a Commonwealth Games from 3 years ago, you’ve lost the argument.
he is still a world record holder. get ur facts right lmao scm 2back
A world record that has stood for 5 years and stop knocking Commonwealth Games….means a.lot to over 50 countries. Countries that have picked up lots of Olympic games medals.
Actually, yes he is still a world record holder: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_world_records_in_swimming
I’m not going to scour his previous results to see when he swam PBS, but according to FINA, both his World Championship titles in 2015 were won with PBs: https://www.fina.org/athletes/1000085/mitchell-larkin
So you are just factually incorrect on both counts.
Also lots of people care about the Comm Games. Waaay more people in the world watch the Comm Games than the world champs.
Nah sub13 won. Much better argument on his end.
Don’t often agree with you and not sure “headcase” is the most accurate tag to pin on him but it’s hard to debate how his career has panned out. The facts have spoken for themselves; 2015 Worlds did prove to be “that one brief shining moment” of his career.
At least C1 delivers on relays; Larkin has been “out to lunch” in that regard since 2015. Maybe more than a grain of truth in the comparison in that there has been an element of “self sabotage” mentally but maybe more on the money with regards to Seebohm.
That’s why I specifically said “individual events.” C1 delivers on relays. Larkin doesn’t. And Seebohm showed up at Tokyo. Larkin didn’t.
fairly certain there is no increased payout at FINA comp’s for a PB, it’s the medals.
Mitch Larkin, Ellijah winnington, Clyde Lewis, seems like male swimmers struggle with Boxall when the olympics are around the corna
Who has done well with the Rock ‘n’ Roll coach?
Olympic Champs Meg Mollie & Ariarne .
and meg harris is going to peter bishop’s squad
Yes . So what? She is taking up the opportunity of living an adult life . SA Institute offered her a good deal ; she took it .
5 golds in 2018, not bad
Pretty sure he got an individual and a relay medal in Rio. So there is that. Plenty of people from different countries have peaked at a world champs and then not at an Olympics.