The Australian Swimming Championships featured the return of a living legend, and some sizzling swims from some of the top swimmers in the world.<\/p>\n
Emma McKeon kicked off the night with a smoking 57.35 to lead the women’s 100-meter fly semis. \u00a0That swim was faster than the 57.70 Alicia Coutts used to win the title last year, and bettered McKeon’s third-ranked standing from a 57.68 in prelims. \u00a0Only Sarah Sjostrom (56.58) and Jeanette Ottesen (57.23) have been faster.<\/p>\n
Madeline Groves qualified second in 58.01 to move to fourth in the world, while Coutts qualified third with a 58.15, just off her fifth-ranked season best of 58.12 from prelims.<\/p>\n
Mack Horton hit the men’s 400-meter freestyle finale field like a Mack Truck with a 3:42.84. That swim vaulted him to the top of the world rankings tonight, and was well under the 3:43.72 David McKeon used to win the national title just a year ago. Horton’s time moved him to ninth all time in the event’s history, ahead of Peter Vanderkaay’s 3:43.11.<\/p>\n
\u201cFocusing on the 1500m is what gives me a good time in the 400,\u201d said Horton.\u00a0\u201cLast year was a good stepping stone getting into the team with Comm Games and Pan Pacs\u2026World Champs is a step up and a stepping stone to the Olympics. So it\u2019s all building in to next year.\u201d<\/p>\n
McKeon, meanwhile, took second tonight in 3:44.28 to also stand second in the world, while the legendary Grant Hackett, 34, won a bronze medal in his first nationals back since his comeback. Hackett posted a fourth-ranked 3:46.53 as only Horton, McKeon and James Guy (3:45.77) have been faster this year.<\/p>\n
Hackett, who had been gone from the sport for six years, just returned six months ago primarily for fitness purposes and is already throwing down seriously strong times.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t believe I can do that in six months, I\u2019m really surprised\u2026Who knows what I can do in another six months,\u201d Hackett said.\u00a0\u201cI can\u2019t really avoid it can I, but I hate the word\u00a0[comeback].\u00a0That\u2019s not what the intention was [of starting to swim again]. I\u2019m doing it for fun and that\u2019s the way I am going to keep doing it. It\u2019s technically a comeback if that\u2019s what you want to call it but it has nothing to do with trying to get the glory back or fill a void in my life – I\u2019m just enjoying swimming.”<\/p>\n