Australian team members Andrew and Matt Abood and WA-born Olympian Tommaso D’Orsogna provided plenty of entertainment in the final of the men’s 50m freestyle at the 2014 Swimming WA State Open & Age Championships tonight.
Queensland-based D’Orsogna was first of the three off the blocks but it was Andrew, swimming out of lane four, who had the edge over his brother and the hometown boy.
He came home fastest in 22.63 ahead of older brother and Sydney University teammate Matt (22.66) and with D’Orsogna (22.83) left to settle for a bronze visitor’s medal.
D’Orsogna however go into tomorrow night’s semi finals of the 100m butterfly as firm favourite, qualifying fastest in 53.31 ahead of Sydney University’s Nathan Romeo (54.09) and Benjamin Lindsay (55.50).
Taking out the State title was Westside’s James Raymond in 23.49 with West Coast’s Alex Chin second in 24.09 and Westside’s Ryan Steenkamp third in in 24.31.
The women’s 50m butterfly was just as thrilling with rivals Holly Barratt, Brianna Throssell and Yolane Kukla gunning for the State title.
It was Rockingham-based Barratt – at 26, the oldest of the three girls – who got off to the best start. She managed to hold off a late surge from Throssell and Kukla to take the title in 26.95 in what was arguably the most thrilling final of the night.
Kukla, 18, who swims for Arena, touched for silver in 27.02 just ahead of 17-year-old Throssell, who took bronze in 27.06.
The Perth City swimmer however came back firing in the 100m butterfly, claiming a WA resident record on her way to winning the State age title and qualifying fastest for the tomorrow night’s final.
Singapore swimmer Jing-E Tan also broke the WA All Comer record in the 13 and under 100m butterfly, clocking 1:02.88.
In the men’s 100m backstroke, favourite Bobby Jovanovich took out the title in 57.04 despite the 24-year-old Westside swimmer facing a late surge from 17-year-old Western Sprint swimmer Nicholas Brown who took silver in 57.63.
In the women’s 400m, Jessica Pengelly cruised to a clear win in 4:51.23 ahead of her West Coast teammates Hadley Lindsay (5:01.27) and Chelsea Unwin (5:06.18).
While in the men’s 200m individual medley Lennard Bremmer won by almost five seconds, clocking 2:05.83 ahead of second-place getter Perth City’s William Rollo (2.10.53) and third-placed Alex Milligan (2.11.08) of West Coast.
And it was a close finish in the women’s 100m breaststroke with Bremer’s Westside teammate Sigrid de Vries taking out the title in 1:13.36 ahead of another Westside swimmer Justine Spurr (1:13.53) and Broome’s Talara-Jade Dixon (1:14.90).
In the women’s 200m freestyle, Sydney University’s Melissa Mitchell had a comfortable win in 2:03.98 with Pengelly taking her second State title of the evening after clocking 2:05.48.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Men’s 200m backstroke
The race was on once again between Raife Sillence, Ethan McAleese and visiting American teenager Shane Blinkman. The three 13-year-olds had a close race but it was Sillence who touched the wall first in 2:16.34 to take the State title. Brown claimed the first of his two age State titles of the night, clocking 2:07.85 in the 17 years before winning the 100m butterfly in 54.94.
Women’s 100m butterfly
There was some fast racing among the ages with Claire Coten winning the 13 years behind visiting swimmer Tan, Emma Hargrave taking out the 14 years title, Darian Murray claiming gold in the 15 years and Chelsea Unwin being crowned 16 years State champion.
Women’s 200m backstroke
Sian Munks is proving herself a force to be reckoned with in the 14 years. After winning two gold medals yesterday, she picked up another, winning by almost three seconds in 2:27.90.
This report is a press release from Swimming WA