Aussies Dominate Oceania Games

NOUMEA, NEW CALEDONIA, June 14. IT was the night of Australia's Team Dolphins' "Sister Act" this evening on the final day of the Oceania Championships, hel in Noumea, New Caledonia, with the Melbourne-based Leane and Tamara and Adelaide-based Karina completing a rare family quinella in the 200 meter backstroke.

After younger sister Karina had won the 50 and 100 M backstroke double earlier in the week, it was older sister Tamara who kept the gold all in the family, defeating Karina in the 200 meter final.

The sisters swam stroke-for-stroke the entire race before Tamara touched first in 2:18.45, just edging Karina's 2:19.05. Western Australia's rising star Nicole Seah rounded off the Aussie trifecta by taking the bronze (2:22.54).

Later in the night, Karina added her third gold of the meet when she led the Aussie girls to gold in the 400 medley relay. She joined Tasmania's Kate Young (who wrapped up the breaststroking treble when she won the 100 last night); Redcliffe's Jessicah Schipper (who established an Australian 15 years/Oceania-record of 1:00.80 in the 100 butterfly) and Melissa Mitchell,
who added the 200 freestyle to her Australian Age 100 free record.

The foursome combined to win the medley relay in 4:15.78, just outside the 1993 Oceania record set by Australia.

Karina was also runner-up, beaten a fingernail, in a thrilling 200 IM final. The race was won by Lara Carroll in 2:20.11, with Charnelle Crossingham taking bronze. A mere .79 separated the Aussie trio with Leane silver medalist in 2:20.20 and Crossingham bronze winner in 2:20.96.

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The men's Oceania Championship records kept tumbling on tonight's final night too. Ashley Anderson in the 100 backstroke splashed to a record 57.04, erasing Olympian Scott Miller's previous mark of 57.95 set nine years ago.

Andrew Dyson won the men's 100 freestyle just ahead of Raymond McDonald, the former taking the gold in 51.15, .04 up on McDonald. The latter raced to a
championship record in the semis in 50.92.

Willoughby's rising breaststroke star Luke Trickett clocked a fast 2:16.88 to knock a whopping 3.49 off Olympian Regan Harrison's 1997 Oceania record. Fifty- and 100 breast winner Robert McDonald took silver (2:18.75).

Another outstanding performance came from South Australian all-rounder Mitchell Bacon, who won gold in the 200 IM in an Oceania record and personal best 2:03.99. He defeated arch-rival 400 IM winner Adam Lucas, who touched in 2:06.00.

Mitchell's time lowered New Zealand Olympian Dean Kent's 2000 Oceania record time of 2:04.57. Still active and currently his country's top swimmer, Kent
holds the NZL medley records with his 2:02.25/4:19.04 from last year's Goodwill Games in Brisbane.

The men's 400 medley relay saw an amazing turn of events with the Australia "B" team defeating the Australia "A" team by a narrow margin.

Unfortunately, the "B" team was not officially awarded the gold as it was Australia's second team. Still, after the medal presentation the Australian "A" team handed its medals to the victorious "B" team swimmers in a fine display of team unity and sportsmanship.

The "B" boys swam to a new championship record 3:45.44. The team included Matt Spicer, Luke Trickett, Josh Krogh and Andrew Dyson.

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Ashley Anderson set a new Australian age group record on the leadoff 100 back leg of the medley relay, clocking 56.84, capping off a great meet for him.

In other events WA's Travis Nederpelt wrapped up a successful gold- medal double for his family, winning the men's 1500 freestyle in 15:42.07. His brother Jarrod won opening day in the 10K open-water event.

It was also a special time for Fiji's representative, Caroline Pickering, who powered to an Oceania record 26.27 in the 50 freestyle. She relegatd Aussies Lisbeth Lenton and Teagan Wilkie to the secondary placings.

Papua New Guinea celebrated an upset in the men's 50 meter fly with Ryan Pini edging Australian Tim Dodd. Pini clocked 25.07 to beat the Aussie by .04.

— Ian Hansen and Bill Bell

GOLD
Medal winners

MEN:

50m freestyle: Andrew Dyson (23.20)
100m freestyle: Andrew Dyson (51.15)
200m freestyle: Nicholas Sprenger (1:52.18)
400m freestyle: Josh Krogh (3:56.95)
1500m freestyle: Travis Nederpelt (15:42.07)
10km: Jarrad Nederpelt (2:29.06)
50m butterfly: Ryan Pini (Papua New Guinea) (25.07)
100m butterfly: Tim Dodd (55.07)
200m butterfly: Josh Krogh (2:02.12)
50m breaststroke: Robert McDonald (29.39)
100m breaststroke: Robert McDonald (1:03.28)
200m breaststroke: Luke Trickett (2:16.38)
50m backstroke: Daniel Blackborrow (26.84)
100m backstroke: Ashley Anderson (57.04)
200m backstroke: Adam Lucas (2:03.47)
200m IM: Mitchell Bacon (2:03.99)
400 IM: Adam Lucas (4:24.57)
4x100m freestyle relay (Andrew Dyson, Nicholas Sprenger, Ben Denner, Ray McDonald) 3:25.57
4x200m freestyle relay (Ben Denner, Josh Krogh, Andrew Dyson, Nicholas Sprenger) 7:37.32
4x100m medley relay (Matthew Spicer, Luke Trickett, Josh Krogh,Andrew Dyson) 3:44.55

WOMEN:
50M freestyle: Carolyn Pickering (Fiji): 26.27
200M freestyle: Melissa Mitchell: 2:03.20
400M freestyle: Belinda Wilson (4:16.87)
800M freestyle: Belinda Wilson (8:48.52)
50M breaststroke: Kate Young (33.81)
100M breaststroke: Kate Young (1:12.21)
200M breaststroke: Kate Young (2:34.55)
50M backstroke: Karina Leane (30.21)
100M backstroke: Karina Leane (1:03.64)
200M backstroke: Tamara Leane (2:18.45)
50M butterfly: Lisbeth Lenton (28.03)
100M butterfly: Jessicah Schipper (1:00.80, Aust 15 years rec)
200M butterfly: Jessicah Schipper (2:14.11)
200M individual medley: Lara Carroll (2:20.17)
400 IM: Charnelle Crossingham (4:54.14)
4×100 metre freestyle relay (3:49.23) Teagan Wilkie, Sophie Edington, Melissa Mitchell, Lisbeth Lenton
4x100m medley relay (Karina Leane, Kate Young, Jessicah Schipper, Melissa Mitchell) 4:15.78.

SILVER

MEN:

50 metre freestyle: Raymond McDonald (23.39)
100 metre freestyle: Raymond McDonald (51.19)
200 metre freestyle: Ben Denner (1:52.23)
400 metre freestyle: Nicholas Sprenger (3:58.88)
1500M freestyle: Daniel Lysaught (15:53.55)
50 metre backstroke: Ashley Anderson (26.93)
100 metre backstroke: Matthew Spicer (57.10)
200 metre backstroke: Matthew Spicer (2:05.55)
50 metre butterfly: Tim Dodd (25.11)
100 metre butterfly: Josh Krogh (55.67)
200 metre butterfly: Travis Nederpelt (2:04.29)
50 metre breaststroke: Luke Trickett (29.66)
100 metre breaststroke: Luke Trickett (1:03.58)
200m breaststroke: Robert McDonald (2:18.75)
200m IM: Adam Lucas (2:06.00)
400 metre IM: Mitchell Bacon (4:25.20)
4×100 metre freestyle: Ashley Anderson, Adam Lucas, Tim Dodd Travis Nederpelt (3:32.29)

WOMEN:

50 metre freestyle: Lisbeth Lenton (26.51)
200 metre butterfly: Charnelle Crossingham (2:14.90)
200 metre IM: Karina Leane (2:20.20)
400 metre IM: Lara Carroll (4:58.90)
50 metre breaststroke: Rebekah Rychvalsky (34.05)
100m breaststroke: Rebekah Rychvalsky (1:13.24)
100 metre freestyle: Melissa Mitchell (56.95)
50 metre backstroke: Nicole Seah (30.78)
100 metre backstroke: Sophie Edington (1:03.86)
200m backstroke: Karina Leane (2:19.05)
50 metre butterfly: Katie Corkran (28.15)
100m butterfly: Katie Corkran (1:01.49)
400 metre freestyle: Jessicah Schipper (4:19.78)
800 metre freestyle: Briody Murphy (9:01.67)
4×100 metre freestyle: Katie Corkran, Tamara Leane, Jessicah Schipper, Lisbeth Lenton (3:49.23)
4×200 metre freestyle: Briody Murphy, Belinda Wilson, Tamara Leane, Melissa Mitchell (8:28.16)

BRONZE

MEN:

100 metre freestyle: Ben Denner (51.49)
200 metre freestyle: Andrew Dyson (1:54.80)
400 metre freestyle: Travis Nederpelt (3:59.36)
100 metre backstroke: Daniel Blackborrow (58.70)
200 metre backstroke: Ashley Anderson (2:06.13)

WOMEN:

50M freestyle: Teagan Wilkie (26.67)
100M butterfly: Lisbeth Lenton (1:03.69)
200 metre butterfly: Katie Corkran (2:17.85)
100 metre freestyle: Lisbeth Lenton (57.09)
400 metre freestyle: Briody Murphy (4:21.06)
50 metre backstroke: Lisbeth Lenton (30.89)
200M backstroke: Nicole Seah (2:22.54)
50 metre breaststroke: Lara Carroll (34.18)
100M breaststroke: Lara Carroll (1:14.43)
200 metre breaststroke: Rebekah Rychvalsky (2:38.19)
100 metre backstroke: Nicole Seah (1:04.88)
200IM: Charnelle Crossingham (2:20.96)

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