As Dolphins Prep For World Champs Trials, Kaylee McKeown Goes 4:34.96 in 400 IM

womens 100 free start best
FLYING START: The start of the women's 100m freestyle, from right to left, Meg Harris, Madi Wilson, Brianna Throssell and Leah Harris among 150 Australian swimmers converging ion the Gold Coast. Photo: Wasde Brennan.

As Dolphins Prep For World Champs Trials, Kaylee McKeown Goes 4:34.96 in 400 IM

More than 150 of Australia’s top swimmers led by Tokyo Olympic champions Kaylee McKeown and Zac Stubblety-Cook have converged on the Gold Coast for a three-day Swimming Australia High Performance Invitational Meet at the Miami Aquatic Centre – with nail-biting finishes and a “prizemoney wheel” the order of the opening night’s finals.

kaylee splash

Kaylee McKeown making a splash on the Gold Coast. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photography.

The three-day meet, designed by Dolphins Head Coach Rohan Taylor, will give the swimmers a final competition hit out, before next month’s Australian Championships in Adelaide – which will double as the selection Trials for this year’s FINA World Championships in Budapest and the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

And the winners are claiming a slice of cash for their efforts with the addition of a “spinning wheel” to determine how much each of the winners will pocket at the end of the night.

The stars of the Tokyo pool have snuck into the 2032 Olympic city-co-host, joining over 7000 lifesavers, including Australian open water stars Nick Sloman, Bailey Armstrong and Hayden Cotter, who have hit the glitter-strip for the 2022 Australian Surf Lifesaving Championships.

It comes after Australia’s elite triathletes Tokyo Olympian Matt Hauser and former SA swim star Sophie Linn snatched the first two nominations for the Birmingham Games with thrilling victories on the Broadwater Parklands last Sunday.

Bowen Gough

SPUN AND WON: Bowen Gough spins the cash wheel before he take the win and the money winning the 200m butterfly. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photography.

The Coast’s latest big name recruit, dual Olympic backstroke gold medallist, McKeown, now under super coach Michael Bohl at Griffith University, didn’t disappoint.

The triple Tokyo golden girl displayed her brilliance at multi-million dollar refurbished Miami Aquatic Centre – in the Denis Cotterell Pool of Champions – named in honor of one of Australia’s greatest distance coaches

McKeown lined up in the grueling 400m individual medley producing an impressive performance to take the win in 4:34.96 – with just four swimmers qualifying for in each of the Olympic event finals after cut throat heats sessions.

While in the very next event, the 200m backstroke, which McKeown won in Tokyo, saw Minna Atherton (Bond, QLD) in 2:11.83 edge out Tahlia Thornton (USC Spartans, QLD) 2:11.85 in a night of nail-biting finishes.

With McKeown now firmly entrenched in Bohl’s star-studded squad at Griffith, Atherton – a Bond University Scholarship holder, now finds herself in the Bond pool under its head coach Chris Mooney – the man who steered McKeown along her golden pathway to Tokyo.

There was certainly some spirited racing, and none better than in the final event on the program, the women’s 800m freestyle.

It saw a brave triple Junior World Champion, Lani Pallister (Griffith University), make a welcome return to the winners list, producing the bravest win of the night, in a huge confidence-boosting swim.

womens 800 finish

PHOTO FINISH: Lani Pallister out-touches Griffith team mate Maddy Gough in the 800m freestyle. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photography.

Front-running Pallister opened up a commanding lead through the first 400m (4:10.47), only to see Tokyo Olympian and her Griffith club mate and noted big-finisher Madeleine Gough, gradually whittle the lead away.

In the end the pair staged a gripping final 50m to the finish – Pallister digging deep under the flags to hang on and take the win in 8:25.01 to Gough’s 8:25.44.

In other events, last year’s Australian champion Bowen Gough (Griffith University, QLD) – agonisingly close to the Olympic team, powered home to win the men’s 200m butterfly in 1:57.77.

Gough held on to beat his former Nunawading-now-Griffith team mate, Tokyo 400IM bronze medallist, Brendon Smith (1:58.66) with Chandler’s Lucas Humeniuk (2:00.22) third.

Southport’s Tokyo gold medallist Chelsea Hodges (1:07.29) held on grimly against her Miami -based Tokyo team mate Jenna Strauch (1:07.63) with Mikayla Smith, also Miami, third in 1:08.37

And both the men’s and women’s 100m freestyle went right down to the wire with nothing separating both finishes – Madi Wilson (Marion, SA) winning an all-Tokyo women’s final in 53.91, from her team mate and fellow Olympic relay gold medallist Meg Harris (54.04) in a successful comeback from a broken hand. And it was Wilson who spun and swum her way to the top prize – $300 for her efforts, and a winning smile for camerman Wade Brennan, who was poolside shooting for Swimming World.

Madi Wilson finish

THAT WAS CLOSE: Madi Wilson wins the 100m freestyle over Marion training partner Meg Harris and claims the $300 first prize. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photography.

While in the men’s event, Sydney’s William Yang (Loreto Normanhurst, NSW) clocked 49.33 to upset his more fancied SA rivals Marion’s Tokyo Olympic duo Zac Incerti (49.55) and Matt Temple (49.59).

Cody Simpson finished a fourth in 50.09 – the 50 second barrier avoiding the 25-year-old from Griffith for the second time in a day after his 50.05 in the morning to claim his place in the A final.

The men’s 400m freestyle saw Rackley’s Sam Short lead all he way to score an impressive victory, clocking 3:50.47 with Matthew Galea (SOPAC, NSW) second in 3:53.11 and Thomas Hauck (All Saints, QLD) third in 3:53.92.

Meanwhile Alexandria Perkins (USC Spartans, QLD) 26.94, out-touched Lily Price (Rackley) 26.98 and Kayla Costa (Nunawading, QLD) 27.19 to take out the 50m butterfly.

Sam Williamson (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) 27.84 won the men’s 50m breaststroke from rising former WA star Josuha Yong (USC Spartans, QLD) 28.26 with Stubblety-Cook clocking 27.37 for the second time in the day for third.

And Isaac Cooper (Rackley) charged to the wall to take the mens’s 50m backstroke in an impressive 25.51 from Incerti (26.00) and Bradley Woodward (26.29).

Day Two and Three heats sessions start at 9am local time with finals at 5.30pm.

Cody and Yang

YING AND YANG: William Yang caps off a good night to win the 100m freestyle ahead of Zac Incerti (top) with fourth-placed Cody Simpson all smiles. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photography.

Kaylee breast final long shot

LANES OF GOLD: Kaylee McKeown dominated in the 400IM. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photography.

Maddy and Lani smiles

SMILEY FACES: Maddy Gough (left) and Lani Pallister after their epic 800m freestyle. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photography.

Minna start

SHE’S BACK: Minna Atherton primed for a start. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photography.

Zac Incerti alone

PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS: Zac Incerti contemplating another lap. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photography.

 

 

 

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