By Ian Hanson<\/p>\n
SYDNEY, April 13. LEISEL Jones gave the 200m breaststroke world record a real shake when she equalled her own personal best time in an exciting finale to the most successful Australian Age Swimming Championships on record at the Sydney Aquatic Centre tonight.<\/p>\n
The brilliant 16-year-old from Redcliffe Leagues Lawnton in Queensland clocked 2:25.46 – the time she clocked to win silver in last year's FINA World Championships in Fukuoka.<\/p>\n
Jones, who the night before smashed both the 50 and 100m breaststroke Australian records in one race, was under world record pace for the first 100 metres of tonight's 200m final.<\/p>\n
Last night, the kid who gate-crashed her way on to the Sydney 2000 Olympic team, had a real crack at the world record – she wasn't going to die wondering.<\/p>\n
At the 50 metre mark Jones split was 32.34 seconds – 1.03 under the world record pace of 34.37 when China's Qi Hui clocked 2:22.99 in Hangzhou in April 2001.<\/p>\n
The triple Australian champion was 0.82 under Qi's world record split of 1:10.00 at the 100m mark – splitting 1:09.18.<\/p>\n
With the crowd sensing the possibility of the first- ever world record at the Australian Age Championships, they started cheering for a young lady who has taken the swimming world by storm over the past two years.<\/p>\n
By 150 metres, she had dropped off Qi's pace by 0.56 seconds and by the end of 200m was 2.47 seconds outside.<\/p>\n
But Jones' time will come and all going well, that time could well be at this year's Manchester Commonwealth Games.<\/p>\n
All in all, there were 12 Australian Age records and two open records broken at what Australian Swimming Inc. president John Devitt described as the best National Age Championships ever.<\/p>\n
"We have just witnessed five great days of swimming by a future generation of swimmers who I'm sure will lead Australia internationally for many years to come," said Devitt.<\/p>\n
"Congratulations to the swimmers, coaches, clubs and parents for one of the most exciting National Age meets I can remember."<\/p>\n
The records kept tumbling tonight, with Queensland's Craig McLennan from the small mining town of Blackwater, 280km west of Rockhampton, erasing Ian Thorpe's name from the record books in the 14 years 100m freestyle.<\/p>\n
McLennan won his first gold medal of the meet, but a memorable one at that, clocking 52.44 – to take 0.05 off Thorpe's 1997 Australian 14 years age record.<\/p>\n
A swimmer who has also lowered Thorpe's age records along his path to swimming glory this year, Nic Donald, set another Australian mark when he won his sixth gold medal of the meet tonight.<\/p>\n
Donald clipped 0.27 off a 13-year-old record established by Jason Rowsell of Waterlions back in 1989.<\/p>\n
It capped off a marvelous meet for the 13-year-old from East Maitland who earlier in the meet established two Australian marks in the 50 and 100m freestyle.<\/p>\n
After five days the Shannon Rollason coached Chandler Club with his group of – talented teens – Jodie Henry, Alice Mills, Cassie Hunt, Nadine Loof, Clair Barrett, Tegan Wilkie and Melanie Houghton, were easily the top team.<\/p>\n
Of 220 clubs who earned points here are the top 20:<\/p>\n
Chandler (Qld) 1,047 pts
\nRedcliffe Leagues Lawnton (Qld) 958
\nWest Coast (WA) 875
\nCity of Perth (WA) 763
\nCommercial (Qld) 690.50
\nBrothers (Qld) 656
\nUnited (NSW) 615
\nSLCAquadot (NSW) 560
\nMackay (Qld) 539
\nWilkinson (NSW) 531.50
\nNorwood (SA) 504
\nAlbany Creek (Qld) 499.50
\nFremantle Port (WA) 459
\nSouthern Bay Swimming (Vic) 441.50
\nYeronga Park (Qld) 416
\nSwan Hills (WA) 363
\nToongabbie (NSW) 349
\nMacquarie Fields (NSW) 335
\nRiver City (Qld) 312
\nGosford Stingrays (NSW) 311<\/p>\n
SOME OF THE OUTSTANDING PERFORMERS OF THE MEET<\/p>\n
ALICE MILLS (Chandler, QLD)
\nAge: 14 years and under
\nCoach: Shannon Rollason<\/p>\n
GOLD (5)
\n200m IM 2:17.44
\n50m freestyle 26.06
\n100m freestyle 56.32
\n200m freestyle 2:03.01
\n4×50 freestyle 1:42.30<\/p>\n
SILVER (2)
\n100m butterfly 1:01.41
\n4x50m medley<\/p>\n
BRONZE (1)
\n400m freestyle 4:23.77<\/p>\n
JODIE HENRY (Chandler, QLD)
\nAge Group: 17-18 years
\nCoach: Shannon Rollason<\/p>\n
GOLD (4)<\/p>\n
50m freestyle 25.64 (PB, second fastest by Australian)
\n100m freestyle 56.16
\n200m freestyle 2:02.64
\n4x50m freestyle 1:42.30<\/p>\n
LEISEL JONES (Redcliffe Leagues Lawnton, QLD)
\nAge Group: 16 years
\nCoach: Ken Wood<\/p>\n
GOLD (4)<\/p>\n
100m breaststroke 1:07.33 (Aust rec. also Aust rec 50m breaststroke 31.66s)
\n200 IM 2:16 (PB)
\n200m breaststroke 2:25.46 (equals PB)<\/p>\n
NIC DONALD (United, NSW)
\nAge Group: 13 years and under
\nCoach: Bob Lawson<\/p>\n
GOLD (6)<\/p>\n
50m freestyle 25.96
\n100m freestyle 55.17
\n200m freestyle 1:57.82 (Aust. Rec)
\n400m freestyle 4:09.84
\n100m butterfly 59.32 (Aust. Rec)
\n200m butterfly 2:09.19<\/p>\n
NIC SPRENGER (Commercial, Qld)
\nAge Group: 16 years and under
\nCoach: Michael Bohl<\/p>\n
GOLD (4)
\n100m freestyle 52.21
\n200m freestyle 1:51.32
\n400m freestyle 3:58.14
\n100m butterfly 56.34<\/p>\n
SILVER (1)
\n200IM 2:08.74<\/p>\n
TRAVIS NEDERPELT (City of Perth)
\nAge group: 16 years
\nCoach:Bernie Mulroy<\/p>\n
GOLD (5)
\n200m IM 2:06.66
\n100m breaststroke 1:05.50
\n200m breaststroke 2:22.21
\n200m butterfly 2:04.13
\n1500m freestyle 15:45.29<\/p>\n
SILVER (3)
\n400m freestyle
\n400m IM
\n200m freestyle<\/p>\n
JESSICAH SCHIPPER (Redcliffe Leagues Lawnton, QLD)
\nAge group: 15 years and under
\nCoach: Ken Wood<\/p>\n
GOLD (4)
\n10m butterfly 1:01.24
\n200m butterfly 2:15.85
\n400m freestyle 4:19.57
\n4x50m medley <\/p>\n
ANDREW LAUTERSTEIN (Southern Bay, Victoria)
\nAge Group: 14 years
\nCoach: Glenn Baker<\/p>\n
GOLD (4)
\n50m freestyle 24.16 (ties Aust Rec)
\n100m butterfly 56.86 (Aust. Rec)
\n100m backstroke 1:00.24
\n4x50m freestyle<\/p>\n
SILVER (2)
\n200m butterfly 2:09.72
\n200 IM 2:14.97
\n100m freestyle<\/p>\n
MELISSA MITCHELL (Wilkinson, NSW)
\nAge group: 14 years
\nCoach: Brian Wilkinson<\/p>\n
GOLD (4)
\n50m freestyle 26.51
\n100m freestyle 57.24
\n200m freestyle 2:03.29
\n400m freestyle 4:20.85<\/p>\n
CRAIG McLENNAN (Blackwater, Qld)
\nAge Group: 14 years<\/p>\n
GOLD (1)
\n100m freestyle 52.44 (Australian rec. Australian all-comers record) <\/p>\n
SILVER (2)
\n50m freestyle 24.58
\n200m freestyle 1:58.11<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Ian Hanson SYDNEY, April 13. LEISEL Jones gave the 200m breaststroke world record a real shake when she equalled her own personal best time in an exciting finale to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-zzzzzzzzz"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\r\n