Emma McKeon Leads Sizzling 100 Fly Finale

Photo Courtesy: Swimming Australia

Emma McKeon led a strong night of swimming at the Australian Swimming Championships as the women’s 100-meter fly featured four swimmers breaking 58 seconds.

Jake Packard, who moved to fifth in the world with a 1:00.27 during semis of the men’s 100-meter breast, topped the finale tonight in 1:00.37. Christian Sprenger placed second in 1:00.67 for 10th in the world, while Tommy Sucipto took third in 1:01.13.

Emma McKeon then claimed the women’s 100-meter fly title in 57.31. That’s a bit better than the third-ranked 57.35 she already swam yesterday. Only Sarah Sjostrom (56.58) and Jeanette Ottesen (57.23) have been faster.

Madeline Groves took second tonight in 57.44 for fourth in the world, while Alicia Coutts placed third in 57.77 for fifth in the world rankings. Brittany Elmslie also broke 58 seconds with a fourth-place 57.97 for sixth in the world rankings in what proved to be a fast finale.

In the first semifinal of the night, Mitch Larkin clocked a 54.02 in the men’s 100-meter back. He already had a fifth-ranked 53.79 in prelims, but still put up the top seed tonight. Joshua Beaver qualified second in 54.11 with Ashley Delaney clocking a third-seeded 54.28.

Lorna Tonks followed with a 1:07.52 to top the women’s 100-meter breast semifinal heats. Jessica Hansen, meanwhile, qualified second in the event with a 1:07.70, while Taylor McKeown took third in 1:07.81.

Jayden Hadler moved to the top of the podium in the men’s 50-meter fly with a time of 23.64. Daniel Lester touched second in 23.85 with David Morgan earning third in 23.95.

Two of the top three women’s backstrokers in the world this year, Emily Seebohm, and Madison Wilson, cruised into finals of the women’s 100-meter back with Wilson topping Seebohm, 59.59 to 59.87, in semis. Seebohm (58.89) and Wilson (59.38) have both been faster this year though.

Daniel Smith then clocked the top time in the men’s 200-meter free semis with a 1:47.08. That’s ranked third in the world rankings this year behind Yannick Agnel (1:45.97) and James Guy (1:46.94). David McKeon qualified second in 1:47.23 for fourth in the world with living legend Grant Hackett earning the third seed in 1:47.42 for sixth in the world. There is a legitimate possibility of seeing Hackett earn a spot on at least the 800 free relay at Worlds.

Seebohm returned after the 100 back semis with a 2:11.37 to win the women’s 200-meter IM title. That put her fifth in the world rankings. Kotuku Ngawati touched second overall in 2:11.96 with Keryn McMaster placing third in 2:12.71.

2015 Australian Swimming Championships, Live Results – Results

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