2019 AUSTRALIAN WORLD SWIMMING TRIALS
- Sunday, June 9th – Friday, June 14th
- Brisbane Aquatic Centre
- LCM
- Meet Site
- Swimming Australia 2019 World Championships – Selection Policy
- Start List
- Prelims Heat Sheets
- Day 1 Prelims Recap
- Live Results
- Live Stream
After this morning’s heats, the men’s 400m freestyle appeared to be a battle between Olympians Jack McLoughlin and Mack Horton, the latter of whom had won the event at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
But 23-year-old Horton couldn’t match pace with McLoughlin, as the Chandler freestyle ace surged to the wall comfortably in first in a mark of 3:44.34. That time easily dips under the Aussie-mandated QT of 3:46.14, punching McLoughlin’s ticket to Gwangju. Horton, however, missed the mark, settling for silver well behind in 3:46.47.
The pair finished in the same sequence at last year’s Pan Pacific Championships, proving that McLoughlin’s win there in Tokyo was no fluke.
McLoughlin simply out-swum the competition tonight, leading wire-to-wire. His time of 3:44.34 checks-in as the 2nd fastest mark of his career, with the aforementioned win in Tokyo sitting as his quickest ever in 3:44.20.
As for Horton, the Melbourne Vicentre swimmer’s time of 3:46.47 is well off his 3:44.31 from the aforementioned race, but also indicative of how the Olympic gold medalist has fared in the last year or so. Horton hasn’t cracked 3:50 in 2019, with his last outing in that territory happening at Pan Pacs.
With his absence, Horton represents a medalist from 2017 World Championships who will not be racing in the same event in Gwangju.
Horton still has a chance to qualify for Worlds in the 200m and 800m free, if he can shake off this misfire and re-focus.
What is more important the 2019 worlds or 2020 Olympics?
Mack Horton has talent as he demonstrated in Rio but he’s always been inconsistent. Didn’t he go into the 2015 WC’s ranked number one and failed to qualify for the final? Sadly he seems to be on a downward trajectory. He might get to swim the 400FS if he makes the 4X200FS team but I can’t see him being a factor. McLoughlin though continues to impress. There’s no doubt he’s now Australia’s number one middle/distance freestyler.
At this point there doesn’t seem to be another swimmer who can go 3:42low. Sun can probably squeeze a 3:42.0 and win next year without much dificulty
Fun statistics: Only 7 swimmers have been under 3:42 in history and 3 (or 4) of them only did it with supersuit.
Paul Biedermann 3:40.07 #
Ian Thorpe 3:40.08
Sun Yang 3:40.14
Ous Mellouli 3:41.11 #
Lin Zhang 3:41.35 #
Park Tae Hwan 3:41.53
Mack Horton 3:41.55
Really puts into perspective just how incredible Thorpe was, especially in the 400m free.
Thorpe’s 3:41.83 in a jammer at 16 remains more impressive than any swim in the same event today
in briefs*
Here’s the finish of that 400 – in briefs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jnz08P6sQEQ
Crazy how in 2009 Lin Zhang got 3rd in that race with a 3:41.3
Thorpe would have been 3:37 if he had a super suit.
I don’t know if I buy 3:37. His 3:40, afterall, was done in way more suit than anybody else was wearing at the time. I’d call 3:38-mid if I was putting money on it.
Thorpe was supersuited too. Used even one with long legs and arms
No he was not!!!!
Not a supersuit.
If Thorpe’s suit gave him an extreme advantage you better believe that everyone else would have been swimming in the same or similar suits, like we saw during the polyurethane suit years.
This event has really stagnated on the international level. For the US it’s one of the weakest events too. I’m sure we’ll have two guys around 3:44-3:45 at trials but 20 years after Thorpe you’d think we could get a little closer to him. Hopefully I’m proved wrong though.
i have a gut feeling his lifetime best will always be his performance in Rio. I hope im wrong
If that’s the case, his “lifetime best” produced a Gold medal in the Olympics. Seems tk. Me he can perform under the most intense pressure. That’s a hell of a lot better than almost every other human who has ever lived.
Incredible swimmer, seems like an even better guy.
Yeah, but a male swimmer shouldn’t be peaking in their teens.
Happens all the time in the USA. Not a big deal.
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Never underestimate the heart of a champion
Well, the Olympic final IS the time to peak..as an Aussie, I imagine if the likes of Sullivan and Trickett had their lifetime peaks at the Olympics, they would be dripping in gold.
He has tried hard to distance himself from being the new Thorpe or Hackett or Hell no Sun . Success!
Its a big decision to go for Tokyo in this state .