Leisel’s World Record Provides Highlight in Day Three Action at Telstra Australian Short Course Champs

HOBART, Australia, August 27. ACCORDING to Swimming Australia reports, swimming sensation Leisel Jones set the Hobart Tattersall’s Aquatic Centre on fire, shattering the 100 SCM breaststroke world record at the Telstra Australian Short Course Championships.

Jones took the race out fast and blazed home to touch in 1:04.12. That effort knocked a huge .67 seconds off the old mark set by American Tara Kirk.

Jones now holds both the long and short course records in both the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke events.

“I had a really good warm up and my goal was to break the 100 world record and I felt really good tonight and so I thought I may as well have a go,” Jones said. “I didn’t know if I would feel this good tomorrow so I made the most of the opportunity and I was very happy with that time. I needed the last two days to freshen up and the 200 and 50m gave me some confidence. I would like to think I can go faster tomorrow night but I made the most of it and it doesn’t matter now what happens tomorrow.”

Jones will have another chance to better the record in tomorrow night’s final.

Moments later, Leith Brodie chimed in with an Australian record of his own in the men’s 100-meter IM, stopping the clock in a time of 54.14 seconds.

Brodie narrowly missed the record last night in the semi finals but tonight upped the ante and his time made him the 19th-fastest man in history. The 20-year-old is now two thirds of the way towards his second consecutive short course medley trifecta after victory in the 400-meter event on Friday.

In the corresponding women’s event, World and Commonwealth relay gold medalist Shayne Reese upstaged Brooke Hanson, the reigning two-time FINA World Short Course title holder.

Reese stopped the clock in a personal best of 1:00.42, making her the seventh fastest swimmer in history for the event. Hanson was second in 1:00.65 and Alicia Coutts third in 1:01.90.

Christian Sprenger notched his second national crown following his win in the 50-meter breaststroke on the opening night of these championships with a great final lap to take out the 100-meter breaststroke in 1:00.13.

In the women’s 400-meter freestyle, Canberra based Novocastrian Angie Bainbridge proved too strong to take her maiden Australian championship in a time of 4:04.61.

It was an outstanding performance from Bainbridge whose personal best before arriving in Hobart this week was 4:11.66. She swam a mere .07 seconds faster than that time in the heats this morning before slicing seven seconds off her time in the final.

“I felt really good in the warm up and knew I had a PB in me but I didn’t think I could go that fast,” Bainbridge said. “I am really enjoying the AIS and can’t wait to get some more work under my belt before the World’s Trials (the Telstra Australian Championships in December).”

Kingscliff’s Sophie Edington proved decisive in the final of the women’s 50-meter backstroke recording yet another impressive display with a swim of 27.52 to claim her second gold of the meet.

Lisbeth Lenton backed up from her Commonwealth record last night to defend her title in the 50-meter freestyle in 24.28, ahead of a pair of rising sprint stars in Commonwealth Games breaststroker Sally Foster (24.83) and 18-year-old Olivia Halicek (25.00).

Meanwhile, Maroochydore 19-year-old Nick D’Arcy capped off a brilliant month that included selection on his maiden Australian team for the Pan Pacific Championships with his first national title in the 200-meter butterfly.

D’Arcy led the race from start to finish to stop the clock in a time of 1:56.11, relegating fellow teenagers, Victorian Nick Cordner (1:57.60) and Sydneysider Nic Donald (1:58.44) to the minor medals.

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