SYDNEY OPEN: Queensland Teen Ella Ramsay Closing In On Father-Daughter Olympic Dream

FLYING THE FLAG: Ella Ramsay dreaming of Paris and joining her father Heath as an Olympian. Photo Courtesy News Limited.

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SYDNEY OPEN: Queensland Teen Ella Ramsay Closing In On Father-Daughter Olympic Dream

Emerging Queensland teenager Ella Ramsay (Chandler, QLD) is closing in on what could well be a double dream come true at next month’s Australian Olympic Trials in Brisbane.

The 19-year-old has continued her outstanding 2024 form at the Sydney Open, completing a rare double, adding the 100m breaststroke (1:06.87pb) to her opening night victory in the 400m freestyle (4:11.69) – as she prepares her assault on the 200 and 400 IMs at next month’s Olympic Trials in Brisbane (June 10-15).A place on the Paris Olympic team will see her join her father, Sydney 2000 Olympian and her first coach Heath Ramsay, in swimming’s small but select father-daughter Olympians club.

It will continue the Ramsay’s special journey in the pool after Ella made the 2022 Commonwealth Games team for Birmingham 20 years after father Heath represented Australia in Manchester in 2002.

When named on the team for Birmingham two years ago, Ella said that “being on the same boat as dad and now being called an Aussie Dolphin is pretty sick…so hopefully, like him, I will be able to compete in the Olympics one day.”

Olympic selection for Ella, will see the Ramsays join the McKeons (Ron McKeon 1980, 1984 and daughter Emma McKeon 2016, 2020) ) and the Nays (Robbie Nay 1972 and daughter Meagen Nay 2008, 2012) as father-daughters to swim for Australia at an Olympic Games.

And if the planets align the Australian Olympic Swim Team Class of 2024 could well have an extended family flavour – with the Emma McKeon and the Ella Ramsay, along with Kai Taylor (Mother – Hayley Lewis 1992, 1996 and 2000) and Lani Pallister (Mother – Janelle Elford 1988) also in line to make the team.

Ella Ramsay has enjoyed an outstanding season in the pool – finishing second twice to an unstoppable Kaylee McKeown in the 200 and 400 IMs at last month’s Australian Open Championships on the Gold Coast – clocking personal best times of 2:10.71 (6th fastest All-Time Australian) and 4:36.94 (7th fastest All Time Australian) respectively.

Only five Australians – Stephanie Rice, McKeown, Alicia Coutts, Forrester, and Emily Seebohm have broken 2:10 for the 200IM – but Ramsay’s improved freestyle and breaststroke (tonight’s time of 1:06.87 the fastest Australian time of the season and the 11th fastest All-Time) suggests she is well in line to become the next one to Gatecrash the 2:10 barrier.

And with McKeown opting out of the 400IM, Ramsay will join her former St Peters Western teammates, World Championship bronze medallist Jenna Forrester and Tokyo Olympian Kiah Melverton as the three top seeds.

The 200m IM will also see Ramsay and Forrester battle it out with McKeown for the two spots up for grabs.Meanwhile in other events tonight, Sydney’s “Mr Consistency” Will Yang (SOPAC, NSW) added another solid swim to win the men’s 100m freestyle in 48.47 (48.45 heat) from fellow Birmingham Games relay gold medallist Flynn Southam (Bond, QLD) 48.97 and Carter Swift (NZL) 49.18.

It follows his wins in the Victorian and NSW State Championships and his second-place finish to Olympic and World Champion, Kyle Chalmers in the Australian Open final last month – a sub 48 swim at the Trials and a place to Paris awaits the man who has come back from successful back surgery last year, to remove a benign tumour on his spinal cord.

Last night’s 50m freestyle winner, 2023 world champion Cam McEvoy and his Somerville House, QLD apprentice 16-year-old Josh Conias backed up for another 50m Time Trial tonight, clocking 21.94 and 22.37 compared to their opening night times of 21.91 and 22.35.

Japan’s 29-year-old four-times world champion Daiya Seto added the 200m butterfly to his 200IM win from last night, again out-touching fellow world champion Lewis Clareburt and Australia’s Bowen Gough (Griffith University Swim Club, QLD) – Seto in 1:55.45, just ahead of Clareburt (1:55.64) with Gough touching in 1:58.39.

And there was also another step forward for four-time Olympian Seebohm, winning the 100m backstroke in 1:00.73, as she ,along with Cate Campbell attempt to become five-time Olympians in Brisbane next month.

Sydney Open UniSport Nationals, Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre, FINALS

WOMEN

50m freestyle Multi-Class

  1. Keira Stephens (Southport, QLD) 29.11
  2. Alexa Leary (St Hilda’s QLD) 27.68
  3. Katja Dedekind (Yeronga Park, QLD) 28.38

200m freestyle

  1. Brittany Castelluzzo (Tree Tea Gully, SA) 1:58.89
  2. Olivia Wunsch (Carlile, NSW) 1:59.38
  3. Leah Neale (Chandler, QLD) 1:59.52

400m freestyle Multi-Class

  1. Lakeisha Patterson (University of QLD) 4:43.31
  2. Poppy Wilson (Yeronga Park, QLD) 4:47.61
  3. Ella Jones (Kincumber Pacific Dolphins, NSW) 5:10.38

1500m freestyle

  1. Tayla Martin (Carlile, NSW) 16:50.80
  2. Haylee Reid (Griffith University Swim Club, QLD) 17:37.30

100m backstroke

  1. Emily Seebohm (St Margaret’s QLD) 1:00.73
  2. Layla Day (Bond, QLD) 1:01.52
  3. Gemma Cooney (Brisbane Grammar, QLD) 1:01.63

100m breaststroke

  1. Ella Ramsay (Chandler, QLD) 1:06.87
  2. Hayley MacKinder (Griffith University Swim Club, QLD) 1:09.71
  3. Tilly King (Bond, QLD) 1:10.23

100m breaststroke Multi-Class

  1. Keira Stephens (Southport, QLD) 1:17.70
  2. Ashley Van Rijswijk (Wagga Wagga, NSW) 1:20.70
  3. Imogen Nolan (Ivanhoe, VIC) 1:17.32

50m butterfly

  1. Rikako Ikee (JPN) 25.58
  2. Josephine Crimmins (Somerville House, QLD) 26.57
  3. Madeline Groves (Commercial, QLD) 26.91

400m IM

  1. Arabella Bahr (Norwood, SA) 4:59.60
  2. Madison Cooper (Deakin University, VIC) 5:04.02
  3. Alice Monaghan (Griffith University Swim Club, QLD) 5:04.02

MEN

50m freestyle Time Trial

  1. Cameron McEvoy (Somerville House, QLD) 21.94
  2. Josh Conias (Somerville House, QLD) 22.37
  3. Grayson Bell (Griffith University, QLD) 22.78

50m freestyle Multi-Class

  1. Tom Gallagher (Somerset, QLD) 23.63
  2. Rowan Crothers (Yeronga Park, QLD) 24.16
  3. Ricky Betar (USC Spartans , QLD) 24.71

100m freestyle

  1. Will Yang (SOPAC, NSW) 48.47
  2. Flynn Southam (Bond, QLD) 48.97
  3. Carter Swift (NZL) 49.18

400m freestyle Multi-Class

  1. Brenden Hall (USC Spartans, QLD) 4:20.10
  2. Liam Schluter (USC Spartans, QLD) 4:07.59
  3. William Bradshaw (Southern Sydney Swim Club, NSW) 4:56.54

800m freestyle

  1. Harvey Larke (Monash University, VIC) 8:24.22
  2. Corben Powell (Marion, SA) 8:28.82
  3. Luke Higgs (Warringah Aquatic, NSW) 8:3020

50m backstroke

  1. Mark Nikolaev (Somerset, QLD/Visitor) 25.23
  2. Ben Armbruster (Bond, QLD) 25.45
  3. Kane Follows (NZL) 25.79

50m breaststroke

  1. Bailey Lello (Chandler, QLD) 28.17
  2. Joshua Collett (Bond, QLD) 28.27
  3. Zac Stubblety-Cook (Griffith University, QLD) 28.29

100m breaststroke Multi-Class

  1. Jake Michel (Carina Leagues CJs Swim Club) 1:06.61
  2. Timothy Hodge (Western Sydney University, NSW) 1:13.12
  3. Luke Holder (Hornsby, NSW) 1:16.73

200m butterfly

  1. Daiya Seto (JPN) 1:55.45
  2. Lewis Clareburt (NZL) 1:55.64
  3. Bowen Gough (Griffith University Swim Club, QLD) 1:58.39

150m IM Multi-Class

  1. Ahmed Kelly (Yarra Plenty Waves, VIC) 3:08.49
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