Australian Short Course Championships, Adelaide Night 2 Finals: Kukla Makes it Three From Three as Palmer And Magnussen Dominate Freestyle

By Ian Hanson Chief Australian Correspondent

ADELAIDE, South Australia, July 2: Teenager Yolane Kukla made it three wins from three swims at the Australian Short Course Swimming Championships in Adealide tonight as Beijing Olympic gold medallist Kylie Palmer and emerging men's freestyler James Magnussen also also caught the eye in the lead up to this month's FINA World Championships in Shanghai.

Here is an event-by event synopsis of the night 2 events:

Women's 400m freestyle: Beijing Olympic 4x200m golden girl Kylie Palmer (Chandler, Qld) showed why she will be one of the most feared swimmers in Shanghai later this month after producing one the best swims of the Championships so far in the b400m freestyle. Her winning time of 4:01.43 (58.57; 1:59.70; 3:00.98) sits just below Leisel Jones 100m breaststroke from last night and sets her up for a good tilt at the World Championships. Palmer, the world's number one ranked 200m freestyler, was a cut above the field, easily accounting for Jessicah Ashwood (SOPAC) 4:08.39 and Mikkayla Sheridan (Chandler) 4:08.52 and came after her outstanding 800m win (8:16.55) of last night.

Palmer told Swimming Australia: "It has been a really good year so far for my confidence which is great the year before an Olympic Games, and I've been really happy with how everything has been going with my training and my preparation. "Leading into this meet I didn't have any expectations. The girls who I am racing against here have been great, but the likes of Bronte (Barratt), Blair Evans and Katie Goldman aren't here so it has been a little hard to push myself without them but I've been really happy with my times which is good."

Women's 100m IM: Victorian rookie Samantha Wilkins (Haileybury, Vic) broke through for her first ever National title in the 100 IM, swimming a pb of 1:00.40 – making her the seventh fastest Australian, with a powerful final 25m freestyle leg. She revealed after the race that her coach Wayne Lawes didn't really give a race plan. "My coach didn't really give me any advice, he just said to go and have fun. I'm pretty stoked and I really didn't expect to go a personal best." Last year's runner-up Tessa Wallace (Pelican Waters, Qld), again finished second in 1:00.40 with fellow Queenslander Aisling Scott (Brothers) 1:00.80 third.

Men's 50m butterfly:Geoff Huegill (SOPAC) gambled and won his pet event the 50m butterfly after changing his tactics from the morning heats, electing not to stay under water as long off his turn. It allowed rising star Kenneth To (Trinity Grammar, NSW) to surface in front, setting up a frantic charge to the line. But in the end it was Huegill's experience and a full stroke on the wall that saw him take the victory in 23.10, a touch in front of To (23.12) with Mitchell Patterson (Cranbrook, NSW) 23.15 third. "I came up earlier than usual. I thought I was losing some velocity after my heat swim this morning, staying under a little be too long so I thought I would surface a little earlier and be strong and get into it," revealed Huegill, who will contest the 50 and 100m butterfly in Shanghai.

Women's 100 butterfly: Teen sensation Yolane Kukla continued to surprise even herself with her second victory of the Championships (after winning the 50m butterfly on night one) with a powerful performance to win the 100m in a big pb time of 57.44.. Her reaction off the gun and powerful underwater technique were the key factors for the former gymnast, who muscled her way to the wall ahead of Olympic relay gold medallist Alice Mills (Southport, Qld) who also clocked a big pb of 57.73 with world champion over 200m, Jessicah Schipper (Chandler, Qld) third in 57.88. "I have not started my taper yet so my swims last night and tonight were certainly unexpected," said Kukla.

Men's 200m backstroke: Local boy Ben Edmonds (Norwood, SA) produced a blistering finish to win his first Australian senior championship in a big pb of 1:55.02 ahead of noted 200m backstroker Braiden Camm (Redlands, Qld) with Bradley Lewis (Mount Annan, NSW) 1:55.93 (pb) third. A race without the "big two" Hayden Stoeckel and Ashley Delaney, allowing the next generation onto the podium. "I just got out and tried my hardest tonight, I felt really good and although I didn't hear the crowd during the race there was great support before it," said Edmonds, who works as a lifeguard at the city's new Aquatic Centre.

Women's 100m backstroke: Melbourne Vicentre training partners Rachel Goh and Grace Loh were all the go as they went 1-2 in their specialist event. Goh, who plied her short course trade with the Auburn Tigers in the US and with the enthusiastic Ian Pope in Melbourne showed all those skills to take the win in 57.99 (28.04) after Loh, who finished second in 58.23, had led at the first turn. Nunawading's journeywoman and former champion Tayliah Zimmer was third in 58.93. "I enjoy swimming short course. I can work my turns and see how far I can go under water, maintaining my glide and to hang on," said Goh, who said pushing it in training with Loh makes training "a lot of fun."

Men's 100m breaststroke: Queensland's breaststroking combatants Brenton Rickard (Southport) and Christian Sprenger (Indooroopilly) were at it again tonight as they continued their duel in the pool. Night one saw Sprenger edge out Rickard and tonight it was Rickard who turned the tables to win the 100m – with only 0.05 between them – 58.62 to 58.68. Richard's training partner Nikolaus Pregelj was again third in 1:00.14pb. "With Shanghai coming up it's always great to get some strong competition and it's always close between the two of us," said Rickard.

Women's 200m breaststroke: Emily Selig, Melbourne Vicentre's Youth Olympics gold medallist in Singapore last year may well have the big Olympics on her mind. She has certainly put her had up after winning her first Australian title in a slick time of 2:22.28, the ninth fastest by an Australian and ahead of the fast finishing Chelsea Carpenter (Nunawading) 2:24.71 with World Championship team member Rebecca Kemp (Mackay) 2:25.11 third. Selig admitted her race experience gained on the recent Mare Nostrum Tour has helped her. "I thought I executed my race plan really well and the recent trip to Europe helped me a lot and helped me prepare myself mentally to race."

Men's 200m freestyle: Australia's newest 100m freestyle find, Port Macquarie's James Magnussen has thrown down the gauntlet to the 200 metre boys in the lead up to next year's Olympic Trials after adding the longer event to his growing list of achievements. The man who sits at number three in the long course world over 100m in the lead up to this month's World Championships won the 200m in 1:44.12 (the ninth fastest all-time Australian) from Shanghai 4x200m relay member Jarrod Killey (Hunter, NSW) 1:44.26pb with recently included Kyle Richardson (Chandler) third in 1:44.99. In one of the best races of the night, Richardson took it out, Killey took over (24.22 at the 50m turn) before Masgnussen looked to steal the race (50.86 and 1:04.21) before Killey (1:17.40 and 1:31.20) surged back into contention to lead at the final turn. But Magnussen wasn't done and used all his strength to power down the final lap, admitting it's the first 200m he's swum since he was 16. Asked by ONE-HD TV poolside reporter Mark Howard whether he would swim the race at the 2012 Trials, he said: "We're taking it into consideration, it's a different event with extra training, but I'll think about it."

Women's 50m freestyle: The Commonwealth Games golden girl Yolane Kukla made it three out of three for the meet when she again combined her skill and power to win the 50m freestyle (24.22) ahead of Open Nationals champion Olivia Halicek (Uniswim, NSW) 24.45 and Bronte Campbell (Indooroopilly) 24.47 who edged out big sister, Olympic bronze medallist Cate (24.62). "I'm really happy with that swim. I really wanted to get a good 50 one out tonight and I knew I had to finish hard. That's where you have to be strong."

Men's 200IM: Kenneth To (Trinity Grammar, NSW) showed that good things certainly do come in small packages with a brilliant showing of technique and underwater skills to win the 200IM in a personal best time of 1:54.38 (24.44; 53.19; 1:26.47) ahead of Australian record holder and Beijing Olympian Leith Brodie (St Peters Western, Qld) 1:56.68 and Jeremy Saunders (Nunawading) 1:58.80.

Quotes courtesy ONE-HD TV (Swimming Australia's Host Broadcaster).

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