Belinda Hocking has swum the quickest international time of 2011 to end Emily Seebohm’s four year stranglehold on the women’s 100m backstroke at the 2011 Telstra Australian Swimming Championships in Sydney tonight.

Hocking turned 0.4 seconds behind Seebohm through 50m at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre but surged home to win in a time of 59.55 and secure her berth on Australia’s team for the 14^th FINA World Championships.

Seebohm recorded a time of 1:00.08 to finish second and also qualify for the world championships, while Meagen Nay (1:00.51) grabbed third place.

Hocking, who claimed her first Australian title over 100m and third in total, was ecstatic with her performance.

“I’ve been really trying to work on the 100 and have been nipping on Em’s toes for a couple of years now and I am just so excited I was able to get her tonight,” Hocking said.

Seebohm, who has had a disrupted preparation due to a bout of swine flu a month ago, collapsed and had to receive medical treatment after the race, but recovered to accept her medal less than an hour later.

“The last thing I remember is walking down and turning the corner and then I woke up on oxygen and in a wheelchair,” Seebohm said.

“I think the first thing I said was can I get up and go and get my medal now. I really wanted to get up there and tell Belinda she did a great job.”

Canberra swimmer Ben Treffers qualified for his first Australian world championship team after winning the men’s 100m backstroke in a major boilover.

Treffers set his third consecutive personal best time at the meet with a scintillating 53.72 in the final to lead home Beijing Olympians Hayden Stoeckel (53.87) and Ashley Delaney (54.17).

The 19-year-old Treffers missed out on qualifying for the 2010 Commonwealth Games last year by 0.01 seconds in the 50m backstroke, but showed his continued improvement with tonight’s performance.

“I’m absolutely stoked and it’s still hitting me now,” Treffers said. “To win the 100m backstroke and take off over a second in the last year is incredible.”

“I’ve had a lot of change with my coaching and adjusting my training program and it’s beginning to pay off. I’ve missed two senior teams by 0.01 seconds in the 50m so this makes it all the better now.”

In other results...

Women’s 100m Breaststroke Final
Leisel Jones won her 23^rd Australian title and 11^th in the women’s 100m breaststroke with a typically peerless performance in the final. Jones, the current Olympic champion and eight-time Olympic medallist, stopped the clock in 1:06.18 to post the second quickest international time of 2011, just 0.29 seconds shy of United States rival, Rebecca Soni.

The 25-year-old Victorian remains on track to compete at her fourth Olympic Games next year, but has now cemented her position on the Australian world championship team in 2011 where she can attempt to add to her tally of seven gold, three silver and two bronze medals.

Joining Jones on the Australian team is her Nunawading team mate, Sarah Katsoulis (1:07.24), while Leiston Pickett (1:07.32) finished in third place.

Men’s 200m Freestyle Final
In the men’s 200m freestyle it was Commonwealth Games gold medallist Thomas Fraser-Holmes streaking the field to claim his first national freestyle title in 1:47.19, from the Michael Bohl coached Kenrick Monk (1:47.53) and 400m champion Ryan Napoleon in 1:47.68.

Women’s 1500m Freestyle Final
Melissa Gorman won her third consecutive Australian title in the women’s 1500m freestyle with a start-to-finish victory. Gorman, who broke Hayley Lewis’ 17 year long Australian record in the corresponding event last year, was not quite able to match her time this year but finished in 16:06.98.

Gorman’s victory is her third consecutive in the event and fourth Australian title over the distance, with the Queenslander leading home Jessica Ashwood (16:14.47) and fifteen-year-old Bonnie MacDonald (16:16.58)

Women’s 200m Freestyle Semi-finals
Angie Bainbridge set the quickest time in the semi-finals of the women’s 200m freestyle and heads a star-studded field into the final tomorrow night. Bainbridge, a heat swimmer in Australia’s gold medal winning 4 x 200m relay team at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, touched in 1:57.43 to earn a swim from lane 4 in the final.

Hot on the Novocastrian’s tail are a bevy of top quality swimmers with Bronte Barratt (1:57.54), Kylie Palmer (1:57.56), Jade Neilsen (1:57.66) and Alicia Coutts (1:57.99) all swimming under 1:58.00 in the semi-finals.

Men’s 50m Breaststroke Semi-final
Commonwealth Games silver medallist Christian Sprenger has declared his intention to end Brenton Rickard’s seven year hold on the Australian title in the men’s 50m breaststroke as he heads into tomorrow’s final as top seed. Sprenger, the 200m breaststroke world record holder, finished with a time of 28.33 ahead of Tasmanian Karl Wurzer (28.66) and Rickard (28.69).

Men’s 200m Butterfly Semi-final
Five-time Australian champion Travis Nederpelt has continued his strong run in the men’s 200m butterfly securing the fastest qualifying time ahead of tomorrow night’s final, clocking a 1:57.45.

The West Australian has been missing from the Australian Swim Team since Beijing in 2008, so a ticket to this year’s world championships will be further incentive in the final, but he will have to overcome 17-year-old Jayden Hadler (1:57.48) and third fastest qualifier Grant Irvine, who stopped the clock at 1:59.27.

Swimmers qualified for Australian selection for the 14^th FINA World Championships in Shanghai:

MEN:
Ryan Napoleon – 400m free
Thomas Fraser-Holmes – 400m free
Brenton Rickard – 100m breaststroke
Christian Sprenger – 100m breaststroke
Thomas Fraser-Holmes – 200m freestyle
Ben Treffers – 100m backstroke
Hayden Stoeckel – 100m backstroke

WOMEN:
Bronte Barratt – 400m free
Kylie Palmer – 400m free
Alicia Coutts – 100m butterfly, 200m IM
Stephanie Rice – 100m butterfly, 200m IM
Belinda Hocking – 100m backstroke
Emily Seebohm – 100m backstroke
Melissa Gorman – 1500m freestyle
Jessica Ashwood – 1500m freestyle
Leisel Jones – 100m breaststroke
Sarah Katsoulis – 100m breaststroke

Swimming Australia