All Eyes On Kyle Chalmers In The 100m Freestyle Final With Zac Incerti, Alex Graham and Clyde Lewis All In The Mix

PRIMED: Kyle Chalmers keeping his head above water on the way to Tokyo. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).

Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers turned on the afterburners in the last 25 metres to grab lane four and lead the qualifiers into tonight’s 100m freestyle final on the fourth night of finals at the Australian Trials in Adelaide.

Chalmers (Marion, SA) clocked 48.58 (23.67) in the first heat with his mate Zac Incerti (UWA West Coast, WA) putting himself right in the mix for an individual swim, winning the third heat in 48.82 (23.46) with second heat winner Alexander Graham (Bond) the third fastest in 48.94 (23.52).

The rest of tonight’s field is:

Clyde Lewis (Bond) 48.96 (23.74), Matthew Temple (Nunawading) 49.01, James Roberts (Somerset) 49.12 (23.78) and Cameron McEvoy (TSS Aquatic) 49.16 (23.64) and Jack Cartwright (St Peters Western) also 49.16 (23.77).

A final that contains three members of Australia’s bronze medal winning 4x100m freestyle from Rio five years ago – Chalmers, Roberts and McEvoy with the fourth, former world champion and 2012 Olympic silver medallist James Magnussen sitting comfortably poolside in the commentary team.

Chalmers, the winner of the 200m earlier in the meet is right on target for a sub 48 second swim in the final with Incerti, Graham and Lewis all in the game as they chase an automatic qualification time of 48.33.

ONE IN ONE OUT: WA’s Zac Incerti, at 24, eyeing his first Olympic team n Tokyo, qualifying for the 100m final as the second fastest qualifier in 48.82 while 2012 Olympian Matthew Targett, at 35, ponders what might have been after finishing equal 18th in 50.07. Photo Courtesy: wadesphotos.

Incerti’s time was a whopping personal best and his 200 and 400m work suggests he – like Chalmers – will have plenty in the tank coming home.

He certainly made the most of his reprieve after his initial disqualification in the 200m heats – before a solid fifth placing in the final – that could well snare him a Tokyo relay spot.

Graham, swum down by Chalmers, Elijah Winnington ands Tommy Neill in the closing stages of that gripping 200m final will also be right in the mix if he times his finish to perfection.

Meanwhile Trials poster boy Cody Simpson made his meet debut this morning in the 100m freestyle, even surprising himself, clocking a massive personal best of 50.22.

It took well over a second off his previous best and moving him from 70^th of 106 entries up to 23^rdas he prepares for his main event the 100m butterfly on Thursday.

“This is my first time tapering after not doing any of that kind of stuff, so it’s been nice,” said Simpson, whose image is hanging next tom Ariarbe Titmus on the pool fore court and in The Adelaide Airport.

“I’ve got a lot of energy over the last few days, just trying not to spend too much of it and save it for this, but I didn’t expect that.

“I wanted to just get up and do something before the 100 fly otherwise i’d be waiting around all week but that was a massive pb for me – I’m pretty happy.

POSTED: Cody Simpson alongside Ariarne Titmus at the SA Aquatic And Leisure Centre. Photo Courtesy: Hanson Media.

“I’ve just been kind of going non-stop for a good 10, 11 months, you know, between the US and Bet and now Bohly down here. It’s nice to get some rest at.

“I’m super happy with that and will definitely have some more confidence going into (my 100m butterfly) now that I know I stepped up for the freestyle.”

“Just being around all these athletes and like talking to Kaylee McKeown and Ariarne Titmus. I’ve known Elijah Winnington since he was like six years old before he even started training so to see him now. What he’s doing is just crazy.

“And, you know, it definitely is that reassuring being here. I love this, I really I want to do this for a while. it’s the first time I’ve really felt sort of at home here to like just getting a lot of support from, like, my training partners. And I’m lucky to train with Emma every day. And she’s crushing it too.

“I’m looking forward to the next race. So my goal this meet would be to try to make that final in the 100 fly. That’d be nice. But, you know, see how we go. And as long as I’m improving, that’s all I can really ask for. As long as I’m doing PBs, which I’ve been doing every time so far.”

And being involved in the promotion of the meet, Simpson said he hopefully got people that wouldn’t be tuning in to swimming otherwise and hopefully becoming fans of the sport.

Meanwhile in other finals tonight:

SEVENTEEN-year-old Brisbane schoolgirl Elizabeth Dekkers (Newmarket Racers) get her chance to swim for an Olympic berth after posting the fastest time in this morning’s 200m butterfly heats –clocking 2:08.49 – only a touch outside the Games qualifying time of 12:08.43.She can expect the main opposition to come from Rio finalist – who was the third fastest qualifier in 2:10.25.

SMOOTH OPERATOR: Zac Stubblety-Cook in action in today’s 200m breaststroke heats. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).

FORMER world record holder Matthew Wilson (SOPAC Swim Team, NSW) 2:10.26 and Zac Stubblety-Cook (Chandler, QLD) 2:10.64 will lock horns in the men’s 200m breaststroke final with both swimmers on target to clock under the required time of 2:08.28 – it’s just a matter of which order.

WHILE the best 1500m swimmers in the country women will also line up in the first ever qualifying race for their Olympic debut event, featuring TSS trio Madeleine Gough, Kiah Melverton and Moesha Johnson, Lani Pallister (Griffith University) and Noosa’s 10km marathon Olympic qualifier Kareena Lee – and the top two will have to be under 16 minutes to go to Tokyo.

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