No rest for Kaylee McKeown and Ariarne Titmus Who Top Qualifying For Night Three At Australian Trials

Kaylee McKeown
ARCHWAY TO TOKYO: Kaylee McKeown will turn her attentions to the IM on night three of the Australian Trials. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).

No rest for Kaylee McKeown and Ariarne Titmus Who Top Qualifying For Night Three At Australian Trials

There was no rest for Kaylee McKeown and Ariarne Titmus this morning with the stars of last night’s second session of the Australian Olympic Trials topping the qualifiers for night three.

McKeown (USC Spartans, QLD), fresh from her world record breaking 100m backstroke swim last night, cruised through the opening heat of the women’s 200m individual medley to swim the fastest qualifying time of 2:13.19 ahead of Hunter’s Meg Bailey (2:14.21) and St Peters Western’s Jenna Forrester (2:14.40).

Ariarne Titmus stroke

FASTEST QUALIFIER: Ariarne Titmus leads the finalists in the women’s 200m freestyle Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)

The girls will be chasing a Tokyo qualifying time of 2:10.49 – which is achievable for McKeown, who has been 2:08.23 and is one of the world’s leading IM performers.

The other girls will have it all to do but it is the Olympic Trials and it is bringing the best out of Olympic hopefuls in Adelaide.

Titmus, just 0.44 outside Katie Ledecky’s 400m freestyle world record last night will lead the top eight qualifiers into the crucial 200m freestyle final with individual and relay places up for grabs.

The 20-year-old from St Peters Western looked strong this morning as she posted a time of 1:55.72 – under the qualifying time of 1:56.2 – as were placegetters in her heat, 17-year-old Mollie O’Callaghan (1:56.55) and UWA West Coast’s Rio Olympian Bianca Throssell (1:56.76).

Griffith University’s Emma McKeon punched out another qualifying time of 1:56.52 to win heat two and secure her place in the final alongside heat three winner Madi Wilson who looked most impressive in 1:55.86 – the second fastest time of the day – among the top six girls who all swam under the time.

The top eight qualifiers in the women’s 200m freestyle are:

1 Ariarne Titmus (St Peters Western, QLD) 1:55.72

2 Madi Wilson (Marion, SA) 1:55.86

3 Emma McKeon (Griffith University, QLD 1:56.52

4 Mollie O’Callaghan (St Peters Western) 1:56.55

5 Meg Harris (St Peters Western) 1:56.63

6 Brianna Throssell (UWA West Coast, WA) 1:56.76

7 Leah Neale (Chandler, QLD) 1:57.59 (

8 Kiah Melverton (TSS Aquatic, QLD) 1:58.05

The men’s 200m butterfly saw Nunawading’s Matthew Temple (1:56.79) nudge the Olympic Qualifying Time of 1:56.25 and he will lock horns with club mate and Australian champion Bowen Gough (1:58.62), TSS Aquatic’s David Morgan (58.87) and UWA West Coast’s Nic Brown (1:59.06) for places on the team.

 

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