The Australian swim team have saved the best until last claiming five medals, including a gold to Emily Selig, on the final day of competition for the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.

Breaststroker Selig continued Australia’s dominance in the stroke, belting home the 100m event for gold in a time of 2 minutes 27.78 seconds.

Selig blew out to a massive lead of almost two body lengths going into the turn and held the lead to win by 1.61s from Canadian Tera van Beilen (2.29.39) in second and Japanese swimmer Maya Hamano (2.29.75) in third.

“I had a really good start and that was the plan – to go out really hard and try to hold them off,” Selig said.

“I probably went out quicker than I had originally intended but I got there in the end.”

Watched from the stands by IOC President Jacques Rogge and Singaporean Prime Minister Hsien Loong, Selig smashed her old personal best of 2.29.94 by more than two seconds, describing her new time as “a big one”.

For the second time this week the swimmers managed to place in each of their finals, with six from six on Wednesday complementing tonight’s five from five effort.

In the first event of the night Emma McKeon finished third in her final individual event of the Youth Olympic Games – the 50m freestyle – finishing in a time of 25.61.

McKeon was beaten home by French swimmer Anna Santamans and China’s Yi Tang, who finished in a dead heat for gold with a time of 25.40. It was McKeon’s fifth medal of the Games which she later made six including the medley relay bronze.

Australia’s next final featured Kenneth To in lane four and Justin James in lane eight for the 100m freestyle. To lead early but could not pull back Frenchman Medhy Metella who won in a time of 49.99 from Serbian Velimir St Jepanovic in 50.25. James finished eighth in 51.21.

The next medal in green and gold came from Nicholas Schafer with a well earned silver in the 50m breaststroke. Schafer lead from the start but could not fight off the challenge of Croatian Ivan Capan who pipped the Australian for gold in a time of 28.55. Schafer was just 0.04 behind with 28.59.

“It’s been a big week,” Schafer said.

“I’ve swum PBs in three races and won medals in three races so you’ve got to be happy with that.

“It would have been nice to get the gold in that last race but he’s [Capan] a big guy and I did swim a PB so I’m happy.”

Schafer beat home Romanian Razvan Tudosie, who claimed bronze with a time of 28.69.

In the final event of the night and the Games, the Australian mixed 4 x100m medley team took bronze in a time of 3.55.63 behind the Chinese in first and the Russians get in second.

First in the water was Ackermann with the backstroke keeping Australia in third throughout his swim, hitting the wall in 58.08. Selig dived in for her second breaststroke event of the evening – keeping the team within reach of the second placed Russians as she touch To into the water for the butterfly leg. To managed to pull in some ground on the Chinese but by that stage they had pushed ahead by several body lengths in a powerful display.

McKeon bought the team home with a time of 54.47, rounding out a successful evening and meet for the young Australian swim team.

Elliot Woods
AOC