16-Year-Old Lani Pallister Swims 4:08 400 Free at Australian Age Nationals

lani-pallister-
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

16-year-old Lani Pallister won her second title of the 2019 Australian Age Championships in Adelaide on Tuesday night with a 4:08.37 in the 400 freestyle. Pallister was off her best time of 4:07.76 from last summer’s Junior Pan Pacs in Fiji but her time today puts her 17th in the world rankings. Pallister’s time here would have also placed her second at last week’s Australian Swimming Championships behind the 3:59.66 from Ariarne Titmus.

Last year, Pallister had the fourth fastest 400 free time in Australia behind Titmus (3:59.66), Kiah Melverton (4:06.25) and Jessica Ashwood (4:07.73).

Mikayla Messer was second last week at the Australian Swimming Championships with a 4:11.91. Right now, the third fastest Australian is Madeline Gough (4:10.98). Australia will select its World Championships team June 9 and Pallister will have a chance to make her first senior team in two months.

For comparison, the fastest 16-year-old in the United States right now is Emma Weyant at 4:12.62 from the Winter Nationals in December while Chase Travis (4:13.36) is second and Olivia McMurray (4:15.21) is third.

 Event 22  Girls 16 Years 400 LC Metre Freestyle
==================================================================
      Aus Age: R 4:04.26  23/07/2017Ariarne Titmus, SPW
   All Comers: A 4:04.82  13/04/2017Ariarne Titmus, SPW
 Title Holder:   4:14.61  22/04/2018Rebecca Jacobson, Albany Creek
 Meet Qualifying:  4:38.09
    Name           Year Team              Prelims     Finals  FINA       
==================================================================
                          === Finals ===                          
 
  1 PALLISTER, LANI 16-02 CTREE             4:18.45    4:08.37   862  
    r:+0.69  27.80        58.52 (30.72)
        1:29.54 (31.02)     2:01.48 (31.94)
        2:33.18 (31.70)     3:05.51 (32.33)
        3:37.62 (32.11)     4:08.37 (30.75)
  2 MADDEN, JESSICA 16-02 SLCA              4:24.86    4:14.82   799  
    r:+0.79  28.75      1:00.02 (31.27)
        1:32.12 (32.10)     2:04.52 (32.40)
        2:36.72 (32.20)     3:09.34 (32.62)
        3:42.14 (32.80)     4:14.82 (32.68)
  3 BROWN, CHARLI   16-02 MANLY             4:23.21    4:16.55   782  
    r:+0.70  28.06        59.41 (31.35)
        1:31.50 (32.09)     2:04.17 (32.67)
        2:37.06 (32.89)     3:10.56 (33.50)
        3:43.68 (33.12)     4:16.55 (32.87)

The rest of the meet played out as follows:

Rackley’s rising star of the pool, Thomas Neill, showed his class in the Boys’ 16-year 400m Freestyle, powering home in 3:50.99. It marked his second medal of the meet, after he collected silver in the Boys’ 16-year 100m Freestyle on opening night. Thomas Hauck from All Saints GC touched seconds later in 3:54.19 to grab silver, while Noah Millard from MLC Aquatic captured bronze in 3:58.47.

Gliding her way through the water in the Girls’ 14-year 200m Backstroke was Madeleine Hardy (Trinity Grammar, NSW), who nabbed the national age title in 2:16.70. Local swimmer and crowd favorite, Norwood’s Sophie Healy (2:17.49), secured her second silver medal of the meet and St Peters Western’s Amelia Cescotto pinched third in 2:18.40.

Backing up his gold-medal-winning performance from night one, Perth City’s Kalani Ireland stormed home in the Boys’ 17-year 100m Backstroke event. Clocking a time of 55.93, Ireland finished ahead of Carlile’s Se-Bom Lee (56.02), while Manly’s Kai Van Kool picked up bronze in a cool 56.88.

In a terrific display of skills and technique, Aimee Grella (Bayside) willed her way to the wall in the Girls’ 15-year 200m Butterfly. Taking the national age title in 2:14.10 – two seconds faster than her qualifying time – the Victorian edged out Hunter’s Cassandra Fayers (2:17.42) and MLC Aquatic’s Bethany Dalgleish (2:18.06).

In the corresponding event for the boys, the grandstand erupted as Ruan Van der Riet (UWA West Coast) snared the gold in a time of 2:03.82. Rockingham’s Damian Badenhorst (2:05.42) just managed to hold off Albany Creek’s Samuel Short (2:05.43), with only one one hundredth of a second between silver and bronze.

As the fastest qualifier heading into the Boys’ 17-year 200m Freestyle, Kawana Waters’ Csongor Cellie didn’t disappoint in the final. Pushed by those in lanes around him, Cellie touched in 1:51.02, in front of Carlile’s Se-Bom Lee (1:51.57) – who recorded his second silver of the night – and Nunawading’s James McBride (1:51.63).

Newmarket Racers’ Georgia Powell had tough competition from Kawana Waters’ Georgia Pendergast in lane two of the Girls 16-year 100m Breaststroke event, however she managed to take the title in 1:10.62. Pendergast touched moments later in 1:11.45 to receive silver and SOPAC’s Felicity Chan finished with bronze in 1:11.47.

In the longest event of the night – the Girls’ 13-14-years 800m Freestyle – Tiana Kritzinger (Nudgee College) proved she could go the distance and secured her second title of the meet. Recording gold in the Girls’ 14-year 400m Freestyle last night, Kritzinger knocked an amazing 22 seconds off her qualifying time in the 800m to score the gold in 8:53.33. Meanwhile, Trinity Grammar’s Anna Lee battled it out with Bailey Day from Southside Aquatic in lanes three and one for silver and bronze. It was Lee who took the silver spoils, but only by one one hundredth of a second – 8:59.95 to 8:59.96.

In other results of the night:

Girls’ 15-years 100m Freestyle

  • Mollie O’Callaghan (St Peters Western), 55.58
  • Crystal Edwards (UWA West Coast), 56.15
  • Maggie Skewes (Wangaratta), 56.51

Boys’ 15-years 100m Freestyle

  • Joseph Hamson (Knox Pymble), 51.26
  • Edward Speller (Melbourne Vicentre), 51.74
  • Maximillian Giuliani (The Hobart Aquatic), 51.80

Boys’ 14 years 400m Freestyle

  • Evan Chee (Nunawading), 4:07.01
  • Bailey Krstevski (Wests Illawarra), 4:07.96
  • Thomas Connellan (Nudgee College), 4:08.12

Girls’ 13-year 200m Individual Medley

  • Sophie Martin (Brisbane Grammar), 2:20.17
  • Collette Lyons (Kinross Wolaroi), 2:20.78
  • Mikhaila Flint (Cannonvale), 2:22.58

Girls’ 16-year 50m Freestyle

  • Bronte Job (Rackley), 25.47
  • Mia O’Leary (St Peters Western), 25.51
  • Ela Noble (Rackley), 25.68

Boys’ 16-year 50m Freestyle

  • Jamie Jack (Sheldon), 23.32
  • Noah Millard (MLC Aquadot), 23.46
  • Joshua Edwards-Smith (UWA West Coast), 23.54

Girls’ 13-year 100m Butterfly

  • Hayley Johnson (Knox Pymble), 1:02.59
  • Kate Able (Newmarket Racers), 1:03.84
  • Josephine Crimmins (Newmarket Racers), 1:04.66

Boys 16-year 100m Breaststroke

  • Connor Bracken (St Peters Western), 1:04.99
  • Lachlan Gilbert (Nudgee College), 1:05.29
  • Hadley Mayo (Churchie), 1:05.31

Girls’ 13-year 800m Freestyle

  • Sienna Shepherd (Bayside), 9:15.84
  • Paige Siren (Helensvale), 9:22.94
  • Alexis Barnett (St Peters Western), 9:26.42

The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with Swimming Australia. For press releases and advertising inquiries please contactAdvertising@SwimmingWorld.com.

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Thomas A. Small
4 years ago

Congratulations

Natalee Burgess
4 years ago

Go Ruan ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gary Ireland
4 years ago

Beautiful

Dee Carr
4 years ago

Jack Carr woohoo, tag Lani!

Jack Carr
4 years ago
Reply to  Dee Carr

Lani Pallister bahahaha

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