SWIMMING: Olympic bronze medallist Emma McKeon has produced the second fastest time in the world this year to win the 200m freestyle on night three of the Hancock Prospecting Australian Swimming Championships in Brisbane.
The 22-year-old from St Peters Western clocked 1:55.68 to win her fourth straight national title in the event.
She wasted no time attacking the race, out in 26.31, splitting 55.66 at the 100m as she opened up a commanding lead to stamp her authority on the field to set up what will be a real showdown against the rest of the world at the World Championships in Hungary in July.
At one stage early in the race she was under world record pace as the field tried to stay in touch, but the class that saw her return from Rio as our most successful medallist, continued to show.
McKeon’s time sits her just behind Sweden’s Michelle Coleman’s 1:55.64 and ahead of Italy’s world record holder Federica Pellegrini’s 1:55.94 who will be just two of her main rivals at the World Championships.
McKeon will now have an even bigger program than she did when she rocked Rio last year, having qualified for both the 100m and 200m freestyle events and the 100m butterfly as well as all three of Australia’s relays the 4x100 and 4x200m freestyle and the 4x100m medley.
The girl who returned from Rio last year with four medals – individual bronze in the 200m freestyle, gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay and silvers in the 4x100m medley and 4x200m freestyle is up for the challenge.
“I love a busy meet and this time will even be busier than Rio,” said McKeon.
“To have an individual swim in the 100m freestyle as well as the 200m and the 100m fly is exciting as well as the relays.
“I’m not worried about it at all, I grew up watching all the girls (like Susie O’Neill) swim multiple events.”
And in an exciting changing of the guard, her 16-year-old St Peters Western team mate Ariarne Titmus stormed home to take the silver (in her second personal best time of the day - 1:58.11) with Rio medley swimmer Kotuku Ngawati third in 1:58.24 and Rio relay silver medallist Leah Neale (USC Spartans) fourth in 1:58.40 to make up the relay for Hungary.
Titmus, who won the 800m in a World Championship qualifying time on night one, will now add both the 200m and 4x200m freestyle relay to her repertoire with her pet event the 400m freestyle to come on the final day.
After her standout performance last night, Holly Barratt (Rockingham) picked up her first National title in the women’s 50m backstroke and added to her growing medal tally with victory in another personal best time of 27.60 (moving her fourth on the All-Time list) breaking Brisbane Grammar’s 100m champion Emily Seebohm’s five year strangle hold on the event.
Fifteen-year-old Kaylee McKeown (USC Spartans) rounded out the top three in a time of 28.22.
The non-stop 29-year-old Barratt was soon back in the water to take the silver (26.64) in the 50m butterfly to dual Olympic gold medallist Brittany Elmslie (26.48) with Brisbane’s own Sara Saal (Commerical) third in 26.95.
It will also potentially give Barratt three swims in Hungary as well, with the 50m freestyle to go on the final night when she comes up against world champion sisters Bronte and Cate Campbell.
In the men’s 100m breaststroke, 18-year-old Daniel Cave (Melbourne Vicentre), swimming in lane two, flew home to win his maiden national title, touching the wall first in 1:00.45, just a fraction of a second ahead of Matthew Wilson (SOPAC) 1:00.54 and Tommy Sucipto (Rockingham) 1:00.95 – just missing the qualifying time.
Olympic silver medallist Mitch Larkin hung on to win his fourth straight 100m backstroke national title in 53.54 from the fast finishing 20-year-old from UWA West Coast Zac Incerti in 53.95 and Rio Olympian Josh Beaver (Nunawading) 54.03.
The Simon Cusack-coached Larkin fought hard over the closing stages to hold off the two-time Oceania Champion and vastly improving Incerti and after his win under the qualifying time in the 200m will earn Larkin the right to defend the world titles he won in Kazan in 2015.
The 200m individual medley saw a new national champion crowned in Clyde Lewis (St Peters Western) who won his first Australian title in a personal best time of 1:59.24 – his first time under two-minutes and the seventh fastest time by an Australian.
“I’m stoked…I’m happy with the race, the win and the time,” said Lewis.
“I went out hard and I came home hard, that’s the way to go I guess.”
Silver went to Rio Olympian Travis Mahoney (Marion) 2:00.62 with Jared Gilliland (Chandler) third in 2:01.18.
All resuklts can be viwed HEREand you can watch tonight's finals streamed live HERE.
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