Takeshi Kawamoto Sets All-Comers Age Group Record in Australia

SYDNEY, Australia, January 17. THE first day of the Australian Youth Olympic Festival featured some incredibly swift long course action as every meet record on offer fell. Additionally, an Australian All-Comers Age Group record took a tumble.

Australia's Amelia Gould twice shot down the meet record in the women's 200 free on the first day of action. First she threw down a 2:00.34 in prelims to better the 2:00.53 set by Tang Yi of China back in 2007. Then she responded with the first sub-2:00 time in the history of the meet with a 1:59.79 to win the finale. Japan's Tsuzumi Hasegawa touched second in 2:02.07 after clocking a 2:01.22 in prelims, while Chihiro Igarashi took third in 2:02.37.

Australia's Regan Leong also cleared a meet record twice, this time in the men's 200 free. In prelims, he posted a 1:50.76 to beat the 1:51.51 set by Justin James in 2009. He then won the finale in a time of 1:48.97, just touching out Alexander Graham's second-place effort of 1:48.99. Mack Horton gave Australian a top-three sweep in the event with a 1:50.19.

Hayley Baker of Australia snared the women's 100 back meet record twice as well. She posted a 1:01.86 in prelims to surpass the 1:02.43 set by Chen Xiujun of China in 2005. Baker then returned in the evening with a 1:01.29 to lower the mark even further. Japan's Maho Takiguchi raced to second in 1:02.96, while Australia's Lauren Rettie earned third in 1:03.24.

The men's 100 back meet standard also fell twice. Japan's Takeshi Kawamoto dominated prelims with a 55.05, dusting off the long-standing record of 56.41 set by a young Matt Grevers of the U.S. back in 2003. Kawamoto then posted a 54.66 to drop the record even further in his finale victory. Notably, Kawamoto also lowered the Australian all-comers record for 17 year olds. Ben Treffers previously held the record with a 55.03 from 2009. Leong earned his second medal of the night with a second-place time of 56.82, while Nicholad Groenewald touched third in 57.32.

While the women's 200 fly meet record stood through prelims, Australia's Madeline Groves still managed to drop it during the finale. Groves clocked a 2:11.20 to better the 2:11.52 of Samantha Hamill from 2007. Japan's Rino Hosoda picked up second-place honors in 2:11.57, while Australia's Alanna Bowles placed third in 2:12.66.

Japan's Masato Sakai made it a clean sweep of the meet records with a 1:58.35 in the men's 200 fly. After missing the mark of 1:58.38 set by Josh Krogh way back in 2001 in prelims, Sakai clipped it in finals. Australia's Mitchell Pratt finished second in 1:59.97, while Japan's Ryo Fujimoto took third in 2:01.42.

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