Aussie swimmers fired shots in Sydney, sprint kayakers reunited for a Tokyo rehearsal and selection celebration, Caleb Ewan fell just short of a debut Milan-San Remo cycling win, while snowboarders finished their season with top 5 finishes.
Swimming
Dolphins fire shots at Sydney State Champs.
Australian swimmers had a strong hitout at the NSW State Championships at Sydney Olympic Park over the weekend.
Among the impressive performances, 2018 Youth Olympic champion and Tokyo hopeful Kaylee McKeown clocked the 12th fastest time in history with her 2:05.66 to win the 200m backstroke, while Emma McKeon won the 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly and 50m butterfly.
On the men’s side, Rio Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers won the 100m freestyle in his first meet after shoulder surgery, while Elijah Winnington made it a triple treat winning the 200m, 400m and 800m treble.
Paddle
Tokyo rehearsal and year-long wait for selection celebration.
Almost a full year since the Australian sprint kayak team for Tokyo was selected during covid lockdowns, the team gathered together to celebrate their selection – with Asics happi coats, Qantas boarding passes, Tokyo 2020 themed cake… and a full Olympic rehearsal regatta.
The athletes braved the wet and windy conditions in Penrith to take part in a full Tokyo 2020 Canoe Sprint race program at Sydney International Regatta Centre (SIRC) - the first racing opportunity on an international class course for the athletes since selection trials at SIRC in 2020.
“I am so grateful the event has been able to go ahead as it is a huge opportunity to be able to prepare for Tokyo in the best way possible. We race for only two minutes, but nailing the preparation for those two minutes is what the goal was for me this week,” Wallace said.
“I got to cut the celebration cake and share it with my team - Last year I ate the whole cake by myself,” Bernadette Wallace (SA) laughed.
Winter
Finals for snowboarders to finish out season.
Snowboarder Adam Lambert finished his 2020/21 campaign with 4th place in the season-ending Snowboard Cross World Cup leg in Veysonnaz.
The Pyeongchang Olympian made it to the final with impressive runs, however a fall in the final cruelled his chances of a podium finish.
Snowboarder Tess Coady also finished off an impressive week, with a top 5 finish in the U.S. Grand Prix Snowboard Slopestyle.
The top 5 finish caps off a stellar week, which started last weekend with bronze in the Slopestyle World Championship and another top 5 in the Big Air World Championships.
Cycling
Caleb comes close but settles for silver at Milan-San Remo.
Aussie sprinter Caleb Ewan claimed second place at the one day classic Milan-San Remo, falling just short of chasing down Jasper Stuyven who held off the charging Ewan after a solo breakaway 3km from the line.
The result was the second time Ewan has finished second at the classic race, with the 26 year old vowing to go one better.
“Happy with my performance but gutted with the result, I’ll be back."
