Victorian Open Long Course Championships: Matt Targett Blazes 50 Fly; Ian Thorpe Finishes Fifth in 200 Free

MELBOURNE, Australia, January 14. THE Victorian Open Long Course Championships continued through its second day with much of the media world focused on Ian Thorpe's comeback.

Matt Targett, who ranked third in the world last year with a 23.25 from the Mare Nostrum meet last summer, posted a swift in-season time of 23.51 to claim the men's 50 fly title. He demonstrated some consistency with a 23.72 in prelims. Chris Wright took second in 24.19, while Joseph Carty wound up third in 24.37.

Ellen Gandy surpassed the Victorian record with a 57.96 in the women's 100 fly. That swim eclipsed the 58.08 set by Marieke Guehrer back in 2009, and nearly equaled Gandy's ninth-ranked time from last year of 57.55. Alicia Coutts posted a second-place 58.99, while Alice Mills earned third in 59.58.

In the event which drew the most mainstream press, Ian Thorpe continued his gradual improvement during his comeback by finishing fifth in the men's 200 free with a 1:50.79. That swim occurred after missing finals in the 100 free last night. Jarrod Killey won the finale in 1:48.28, while Nicholas Ffrost (1:49.20) and Cameron McEvoy (1:49.25) finished second and third.

A day after watching Rebecca Soni posted a 2:22 at the Austin Grand Prix, Sarah Katsoulis won the women's 200 breast in 2:29.27. Karlene Pircher (2:31.07) and Jessica Hansen (2:31.91) rounded out the top three.

Sophie Edington cruised to victory in the women's 100 back with a swift in-season 1:00.56, while Tayliah Zimmer took second in 1:01.59. Grace Loh completed the podium with a third-place time of 1:01.82. Alex Purcell topped the women's 50 free in 25.35, while Marieke Guehrer took second in 25.46. Melanie Schlanger snared third-place honors in 25.47.

Lauren Boyle checked in with a 4:12.23 to capture the women's 400 free crown. Amy Allen (4:13.55) and Belinda Parslow (4:13.65) rounded out the top three. Sam Sheppard topped the men's 800 free with a time of 8:15.52, while Mark O'Donnell earned second in 8:27.70. Codie Grimsey clocked a third-place time of 8:31.10.

Ashley Delaney touched out Joshua Beaver, 1:59.41 to 1:59.46, in the men's 200 backstroke. Chris Walker Hebborn clocked a third-place effort of 2:01.67. Brenton Rickard claimed the men's 100 breast in 1:01.27, while Michael Jamieson touched second in 1:01.39. Jeremy Meyer earned third in 1:02.83. Yuki Tezuka captured the men's 200 IM in 2:04.03, while Justin James (2:04.92) and Roberto Pavoni (2:05.46) picked up second and third.

In multi-class events, Sam Bramham was listed first in the men's 100 fly with a 1:02.79, while Teigan Van Roosmalen was listed first in the women's 100 fly with a 1:09.68. Matthew Levy was listed first in the men's 50 breast with a 38.41, while Prue Watt was listed first in the women's 50 breast with a 38.03. Grant Patterson was listed first in the men's 100 back with a 2:01.35, while Ellie Cole was listed first in the women's 100 back with a 1:12.05.

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