SWIMMING: The standard in the Sydney Olympic Aquatic Centre was outstanding on the first night of swimming finals at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival (AYOF).
SWIMMING: The standard in the Sydney Olympic Aquatic Centre was outstanding on the first night of swimming finals at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival (AYOF).
Every race was exciting with records broken in all six events. Along with the four Australian records Japanese swimmers broke two.
Australia dominated the podium with 11 medals – four gold, three silver and four bronze. The men’s and women’s 200m freestyle, women’s 100m backstroke and women’s 200m butterfly brought victory. Japan took the gold in the men’s 200m butterfly and 100m backstroke.
Takeshi Kawamoto produced the swim of the night clocking 54.66 seconds for the 100m backstroke. The 17-year-olds time was an Australian AllComers record, faster than 2012 Olympian Daniel Arnamnart had swum at 17.
“I have always wanted to break a record,” Kawamoto said. “I am really grateful to be a part of swimming history.”
His teammate Masato Sakai broke the AYOF record in the men’s 200 metre butterfly with a time of 1:58.35.
Australia Gold’s Regan Leong had a busy night breaking his own record in the men’s 200m freestyle with a time of 1:48.97, as well as placing second to Kawamoto in the 100m backstroke.
Leong won the most exciting finish of the night out-touching Australia Green’s Alexander Graham. Neck and neck to the end, the boys touched the wall 0.02 seconds apart, with Graham coming an extremely close second to Leong’s winning time of 1:48.97.
Mack Horton won bronze in ominous form for his longer races in the meet. The team spirit was evident as the boys shook hands and hugged each other with proud smiles.
Hayley Baker backed up her win in the heats with another record breaking swim in the final of the women’s 100m backstroke with a time of 1:01.29. She only just led at the turn before powering away from the field. Maho Takiguchi and Lauren Rettie were tight, with Takiguchi sliding in half a second ahead to take second place, leaving Australian Rettie the bronze medal.
Madeline Groves was the fourth and final Australian to break a record in the pool tonight with a time of 2:11.20 in the women’s 200m butterfly. She managed to stay millimetres ahead of fast finishing Japanese swimmer Rino Hosoda.
With Sydney 2000 gold medallist Susie O’Neill watching, 17-year-old Amelia Gould displayed excellent form, surging ahead of Tsuzumi Hasegawa and breaking the record she set only this morning with her time of 1:59:79.
Australia continued to dominate, taking out another gold medal and another AYOF record for the women’s 100m backstroke. Hayley Baker achieved a solid win with her time of 1:01.29.
Swimming will continue at 9am on Friday morning with men’s and women’s heats for the 100m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 400m individual medley and 4x200m relay. The medals will be decided in the evening from 6pm.
Hayley Williams and Hannah Moore
Olympics.com.au
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