Flash! Commonwealth Games Day Five Finals: Jones Smashes 100 Breaststroke World Record with an Amazing 1:05.09

By Stephen J. Thomas

MELBOURNE, Australia, March 20. WHAT can you say about this amazing Leisel Jones girl? Certainly her form these past twelve months has been nothing short of sensational. I described her effort this year at the Aussie Nationals as “destroying” the world record in the 100 breaststroke when the 20-year-old Queenslander took .49 off American Jessica Hardy’s mark to post a 1:05.71. So where does that leave me now when Jones removed another .62 off her record tonight?

Jones went out so fast tonight – splitting 30.83 – pushed for part of the first lap at least by the 50-meter world record-holder Jade Edmistone who turned second (31.36). To put that effort in context, Jones had a PR of 30.86 for the one-lap race at the beginning of this year. Third to the turn was the other Aussie Tarnee White (31.87) with 200 silver medalist Scot Kirsty Balfour in fifth (32.08). Back in February, Edmistone had led Jones to the turn during her WR swim 31.24 to 31.37 to set up the previous mark.

On the run home Jones was racing, and convincingly beating the world record line on the monitor and despite her early pace, amazingly produced a faster back half than her previous record to touch in 1:05.09. Edmistone took the silver a little outside her best in 1:07.24 with Balfour in an impressive swim clocking a British record 1:07.86 to take the bronze ahead of White (PR 1:07.95).

Detailing that effort again: Jones went out tonight in 30.83 and came home in 34.26 (1:05.09), compared with the old mark where she went out in 31.37 back in 34.34 (1:05.71). Jones has also now taken an impressive breaststroke trifecta at this meet with best times in all but the 200 breaststroke, missing her own world record by just .18.

A considerable amount of the kudos for the improvement in Jones must be directed at her coach Stephan Widmer. The Swiss born coach took over the highly talented but emotionally immature teenager after a series of relatively disappointing performances culminating with the Athens Olympics. Russian ‘super coach’ Gennadi Touretski once described a world record performance as a state “where the mind and body meets in one place.” In two years, Widmer has certainly been the catalyst for the mental and physical development of our Miss Jones.

The other golden girl in Widmer’s squad, Libby Lenton, led a familiar Aussie trio to the wall in the 50 freestyle tonight and in doing so collected her second individual gold medal of this meet. Lenton, the reigning world champ in this event, clocked 24.61 to break Scot Alison Sheppard’s Games record and edge out Jodie Henry (PR 24.72) and Aussie record-holder Alice Mills (25.03), the same order as the two-lap race. Canadian record-holder Victoria Poon was fourth just outside her best in 25.65.

In the last event of the evening this Aussie women’s freestyle trio of Lenton, Henry and Mills combined with Shayne Reese in the 400 freestyle relay and went very close to their world record set in Athens, blitzing the field to take the gold. The Aussies clocked the fourth-fastest time in history, racing to a 3:36.49 with Lenton leading off in a swift 53.74 before Henry (53.30), Mills (54.42) and Reese (55.03) did the business to easily defeat England (3:42.69) and Canada (3:42.84).

Newly anointed Aussie Joanna Fargus continued the success for the Aussie women’s team by taking out the 200 backstroke in a Games record 2:10.36 to defeat England’s Melanie Marshall (PR 2:10.87) and Kiwi Hannah McLean (2:12.47). Fargus, a student at USC with dual British and Australian citizenship, took silver in this event swimming for England at the last Games in Manchester four year ago.

World 50 backstroke champion Giaan Rooney was again beaten to the wall by teammate Sophie Edington, this time by just .01 to equal Rooney’s Games record of 28.42 set in the semifinals – now both equal fourth all-time performers. Edington had also defeated Rooney in the two-lap dorsal race. Tayliah Zimmer made it the second Aussie trifecta of the night by taking the bronze in (28.71).

One question for the organizers of this meet. Why do you need to hold the women’s 50 and 200 backstroke finals on the same night of a six-day meet? Four of the eight finalists here had already race the 200 back earlier in the evening, including training partners Edington and Zimmer.

Caitlin McClatchey took her second gold medal for Scotland in the 400 freestyle after an impressive win in the 200, using her speed in the final two laps to break away from England’s Joanne Jackson and Aussie rookie Bronte Barrett. McClatchey, the bronze medalist in Montreal, was just outside her best time to touch in 4:07.69, ahead of Jackson 4:08.36, and 17-year-old Barrett's of PR 4:08.65 – fourth all-time Aussie performer.

No fairytale end to Commonwealth Games competition for Aussie veterans Michael Klim and Adam Pine with Brisbane based Papua New Guinean swimmer Ryan Pini taking that country’s first Commonwealth Games swimming medal in 52.64. He just outlasted a fast finishing Klim (52.70) and Kiwi 200 winner Moss Burmester (52.73). The 30-year-old Pine ended his fourth consecutive Games in fifth place after winning minor medals in the 100 fly in the past three meets.

Englishman Chris Cook won a second breaststroke gold, adding the 50 breaststroke to the 100 he won earlier in the meet. Cooke went a relatively slow 28.01. His teammate Darren Mew took silver (28.07) – Mew also won a bronze at this meet in 2002 – and Aussie Brenton Rickard failed to improve on his semifinal time to take the bronze (28.14).

Aussie Matt Welsh failed to retain his title in the 100 backstroke when Liam Tamcock continued the charge of the English men’s team with a strong finish to edged out Welsh in a PR 54.53 to 54.82 with Scot Gregor Tait taking bronze in 54.89.

Tait later took the 200 IM in 2:00.73 from Kiwi Dean Kent 2:01.08 and Canadian Brian Johns 2:01.56. Both Kent and Johns just missed medals in this event four years ago.

FINALS RESULTS

Men’s 100m butterfly
1. PINI Ryan PNG 52.64
2. KLIM Michael AUS 52.70
3. BURMESTER Moss NZL 52.73
4. SWANEPOEL Corney 53.14
5. PINE Adam AUS 53.25
6. COOPER Todd SCO 53.31
7. BOWE Matthew ENG 53.64
8. KINDLER Thomas CAN 54.18

Women’s 50m freestyle
1. LENTON Lisbeth AUS 24.61
2. HENRY Jodie AUS 24.72
3. MILLS Alice AUS 25.03
4. POON Victoria CAN 25.65
5. ROETS Lauren RSA 25.85
6. CHELLINGWORTH Nichola NZL 25.89
7. MORNINGSTAR Erica CAN 26.22
FITCH Alison 80 NZL DQ

Men’s 50m Breaststroke
1. COOK Christopher ENG 28.01
2. MEW Darren ENG 28.07
3. RICKARD Brenton AUS 28.14
4. GIBSON James ENG 28.18
5. DICKENS Scott CAN 28.34
6. SPRENGER Christian AUS 28.62
7. CLARK Ross SCO 28.93
8. JONES Christopher SCO 29.19

Women’s 200m Backstroke
1. FARGUS Joanna AUS 2:10.36
2. MARSHALL Melanie ENG 2:10.87
3. MCLEAN Hannah NZL 2:12.47
4. EDINGTON Sophie AUS 2:12.58
5. ZIMMER Tayliah AUS 2:12.95
6. INGRAM Melissa NZL 2:13.09
7. CORFE Melissa RSA 2:13.67
8. SEXTON Katy ENG 2:15.91

Women’s 100m Breaststroke
1. JONES Leisel AUS 1:05.09 WR
2. EDMISTONE Jade AUS 1:07.24
3. BALFOUR Kirsty SCO 1:07.83
4. WHITE Tarnee AUS 1:07.95
5. VAN BILJON Suzaan RSA 1:08.42
6. HAYWOOD Kate ENG 1:09.28
7. VAN OOSTEN Lauren CAN 1:09.43
8. BUCHAN Kerry SCO 1:09.49

Men’s 100m Backstroke
1. TANCOCK Liam ENG 54.53
2. WELSH Matthew AUS 54.82
3. TAIT Gregor SCO 54.89
4. CLAY Matthew ENG 54.97
5. ZANDBERG Johannes RSA 55.24
6. LAUTERSTEIN Andrew AUS 55.32
7. DU RAND Johannes RSA 56.01
8. NECKLES Nicholas BAR 56.12

Women’s 400m Freestyle
1. MCCLATCHEY Caitlin SCO 4:07.69
2. JACKSON Joanne ENG 4:08.36
3. BARRATT Bronte AUS 4:08.65
4. MACKENZIE Linda AUS 4:09.81
5. PALMER Kylie AUS 4:11.74
6. REIMER Brittany CAN 4:14.60
7. COOKE Rebecca ENG 4:15.61
8. BEAUDRY Maya CAN 4:19.44

Men’s EAD 100m freestyle
1. COWDREY Matthew AUS 56.73 World Record
2. HUOT Benoit CAN 53.22 World Record
3. ROBERTS David WAL 1:01.85
4. AUSTIN Ben AUS 1:00.50
5. WALKER Matthew ENG 1:03.71
6. BRAMHAM Sam AUS 1:00.15
7. SHARP Robert NZL 58.42
8. TILDESLEY Donovan CAN 1:01.51

Women’s 50m Backstroke
1. EDINGTON Sophie AUS 28.42
2. ROONEY Giaan AUS 28.43
3. ZIMMER Tayliah AUS 28.71
4. MCLEAN Hannah NZL 28.89
5. COSTER Elizabeth CAN 29.48
6. YESTRAU Landice CAN 29.75
7. AITKEN Kiera BER 30.00
8. SEXTON Katy ENG 30.05

Men’s 200m Individual Medley
1. TAIT Gregor SCO 2:00.73
2. KENT Dean NZL 2:01.08
3. JOHNS Brian CAN 2:01.56
4. BRODIE Leith AUS 2:01.84
5. CARRY David SCO 2:02.06
6. ALLY Bradley BAR 2:02.45
7. DALE Euan SCO 2:02.60
8. KNOWLES Jeremy BAH 2:02.85

Women’s 4x100m Freestyle
1. Australia 3:36.49
LENTON Lisbeth 53.74
HENRY Jodie 53.30
MILLS Alice 54.42
REESE Shayne 55.03

2. England 3:42.69
MARSHALL Melanie 55.24
BRETT Rosalind 55.22
SMITH Amy 57.22
HALSALL Francesca 55.01

3. Canada 3:42.84
MORNINGSTAR Erica 55.63
POON Victoria 56.24
SAUMUR Genevieve 54.85
SIMARD Sophie 56.12

4. New Zealand 3:43.49
BOYLE Lauren 56.02
FITCH Alison 55.85
NORFOLK Helen 56.17
MCLEAN Hannah 55.45

5. South Africa 3:47.99
RETIEF Lize-Mari 57.39
ROETS Lauren 55.07
ROGERS Marielle 57.65
VAN HEERDEN Kirsten 57.88

6. Singapore 3:54.15
NG Hiang Yuet 59.38
YEO Joscelin 56.45
HO Shu Yong 59.18
ONG Chui Bin 59.14

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