Queenslanders Kiah Melverton and Kareena Lee produced a sneak preview of the kind of race over 1500m freestyle that will see Olympic spots up for grabs next year, when they went head to head over 30 laps in Brisbane tonight.
Kiah Melverton all smiles with Maddie Gough. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)
For the first time, women will contest the 1500m at an Olympics in Tokyo and Melverton (TSS Aquatic) and Lee (Noosa) will be joined by Maddie Gough (TSS Aquatics) and Lani Pallister (Cotton Tree) for the two spots up for grabs at the Australian Trials.
It’s an all-star field that will settle just who will represent Australia in the debut event, when they clash in Adelaide’s SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre in June 2020.
It is unlikely that Australia’s 400m freestyle champion, Ariarne Titmus, will contest the 1500, concentrating on the 200, 400 and 800 metres freestyle as well as the 4x200m relay.
Training partners Gough and Melverton have been focusing on the 1500m freestyle ever since it was added to the program, with Gough finishing the best of the Australians in 5th in 15:59.40 with Melverton seventh in 16:01.38, while Pallister won the Fina World Juniors in 15:58.86.
Kareena Lee, with Susie O’Neill and coach John Rodgers at the handing over of treasure: a ticket to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games – Photo Courtesy: Hanson Media.
Lee has the added advantage of already being named on the Tokyo team – for her Top Ten 10km finish at this year’s World Championships and the opportunity to add a second event is certainly appealing – without the pressure of team election.
The Chris Nesbit coached Melverton, 23, recently finished second to the greatest of all-time, world record holder, Katie Ledecky at the US Open Meet in Atlanta, Georgia earlier this month and continued her out-standing form in Brisbane.
The 24-year-old Lee, who is under the astute tutelage of master coach John Rodgers, stuck with Melverton for the first 1100m in tonight’s Queensland State Championship at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre, before Melverton moved up a gear.
She held her clear advantage over the final 400m, adding her fourth title of the meet in an impressive 16:04.48, to Lee’s 16:06.48 and Japan’s Yukimi Moriyama (16:14.52).
It is looming as one of the most hotly contested events on the women’s program.
And while Melverton was the dominant figure in the women’s freestyle events the Vince Raleigh coached Jack McLoughlin repeated the dose in the men’s events, adding the 800m tonight to his outstanding performances to win the 200, 400 and 1500m.
Blocked in: Jack McLoughlin ready to rip. Photo Courtesy: Medal Shots.
Backing up from his sub 15-min swim last night in the 1500m with a comfortable win over 800m in 7:52.67, showed McLoughlin already has the aerobic base to move forward this summer and onto the Olympic Trials in Adelaide next June.
New Zealand’s Zac Reid finished second in 8:02.52 while McLoughlin’s Chandler club mate Mitchell Tinsley was third in 8:04.80.
McLoughlin finished a close-up fourth in this year’s World Championships and is a realistic chance to qualify in the 400, 800 and 1500m, as well as the 4x200m for his second Games.
He is one of the Dolphins quietest achievers, who certainly lets his swimming do the talking.