Australian Olympic Trials: Sister Act on Olympic Roster, One More Paralympic World Record Set

ADELAIDE, Australia, March 22. THE final day of competition at the Australian Olympic Trials featured another Paralympic world record and the Campbell sisters clinching Olympic bids.

FINALS
Women 50 freestyle

The Campbell sisters, Cate and Bronte, will be going to the Olympics together in the sprint freestyle event, touching first and second in the final. Cate, the reigning Olympic bronze medalist, posted a 24.44 to move up one place in the world rankings, from fifth to fourth. Younger sister Bronte made her first Olympic team with a second-place effort of 24.61 that now ranks her sixth in the world.

Yolane Kukla, the 16-year-old many had pegged to be a superstar swimmer in 2012, finished third with a 24.76, just off her lifetime best of 24.74 set at the 2010 Jr. Pan Pacific championships. Libby Trickett, who swam in the 50 free final at the 2008 Olympics, settled for fourth tonight with a 24.77.

Fifth through eighth place went to Alice Tait (24.85), Olivia Halicek (25.11), Alicia Coutts (25.27) and Marieke Guehrer (25.36).

Men 1500 freestyle
The men's distance event provided the only instance where Australia did not automatically qualify a swimmer for the Olympic team. Jarrod Poort won the race in 15:13.38, just off the FINA A standard of 15:11.83. He did swim faster than the FINA B standard of 15:43.74, which is needed for a country to field only one swimmer in an event.

Mack Horton led for 1400 meters but could not match Poort's final sprint, placing second in 15:14.73. George O'Brien was third with a 15:18.52.

Also swimming in the final were Jordan Harrison (15:21.54), Wally Eggleton (15:24.54), Robert Hurley (15:30.49), Matthew Levings (15:45.81) and Matthew Terry (15:47.21).

Men 50 backstroke
The non-Olympic 50 backstroke final was won by Benjamin Treffers in 25.19, ahead of Daniel Arnamnart's 25.41. Third place went to Max Ackermann with a 25.82.

Andrew Gillespie (25.91), Joshua Beaver (26.01), Bob Jovanovich (26.19), Daniel Blackborrow (26.26) and Matson Lawson (26.38) also raced in the final.

Women 50 breaststroke
Leiston Pickett took the non-Olympic 50 breaststroke title in 30.68, completing a sprint breaststroke double at the meet after winning the 100 breast. Second place went to Sarah Katsoulis with a 31.28 and coming in third was Lorna Tonks with a 31.56.

Samantha Marshall took fourth with a 32.35, Libby Forbes was fifth with a 32.35 and Amelia Dahlitz took sixth in 32.60. In seventh place was 40-year-old Linley Frame, the 1991 Olympic champion in the 100 breast and competitor at the 1992 Olympics, with a time of 32.69. Frame had made a quiet comeback in 2010 in a quest to compete internationally for Australia.

Eighth place in the race went to Taylor McKeown with a 32.80.

Women 400 medley relay
Melbourne won the final women's event of the meet in 4:07.55 on the strength of a 1:01.44 backstroke leg by Sophie Edington, which was off the 1:00.65 she swam in the final of the 100 back to place third.

Second place went to Nunawading with a 4:09.69 and Norwood was third with a 4:12.65.

Men 400 medley relay
Melbourne took the men's medley relay with a 3:44.82, Arena placed second with a 3:46.89 and Tigersharks took third in 3:48.45.

MULTI-DISABILITY FINALS
Prue Watt posted the final Paralympic world record of the meet, swimming a 36.27 in the women's 50 breaststroke to beat the time of 36.42 set back in 1986 by Karolina Pelendritou in the S13 division. Placing second in the race was Madeline Scott with a 39.96 and Tanya Huebner was third with a 47.62.

Blake Cochrane won the men's 50 breaststroke in a time of 37.29. Matthew Levy almost broke Cochrane's Paralympic world record of 37.57 in the S7 division with a 37.63. Cochrane now competes in the S8 division. Posting a third-place finish in the event was Richard Eliason with a 32.03.

Swimming Australia released the roster of names competing at the Olympics this summer:

Men:
Daniel Arnamnart (NSW), Nick D'Arcy (QLD), Tommaso D'Orsogna (ACT), Thomas Fraser-Holmes (QLD), Jayden Hadler (QLD), Mitch Larkin (QLD), Matson Lawson (VIC), James Magnussen (NSW), Cameron McEvoy (QLD), Ned McKendry(QLD), David McKeon (NSW), Kenrick Monk (QLD), Ryan Napoleon (QLD), Brenton Rickard (QLD), James Roberts (QLD), Christian Sprenger (QLD), Hayden Stoeckel (SA), Eamon Sullivan (NSW), Matthew Targett (VIC), Daniel Tranter (NSW), Chris Wright (QLD)

Women
Jessica Ashwood (NSW), Angie Bainbridge (ACT), Bronte Barratt (QLD), Bronte Campbell (QLD), Cate Campbell (QLD), Alicia Coutts (ACT), Brittany Elmslie (QLD), Blair Evans (WA), Sally Foster (ACT), Samantha Hamill (QLD), Belinda Hocking (ACT), Leisel Jones (QLD), Yolane Kukla (QLD), Meagen Nay (QLD), Jade Neilsen (QLD), Kylie Palmer (QLD), Leiston Pickett (QLD), Stephanie Rice (QLD), Jessicah Schipper (QLD), Melanie Schlanger (QLD), Emily Seebohm (QLD), Libby Trickett (QLD), Tessa Wallace (QLD)

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