Aussie Alice Mills Wins Three at Grand Prix to Celebrate Her 17th Birthday
CAIRNS, Australia, May 24. AUSTRALIAN Swimming’s pocket rocket, Alice Mills, celebrated her 17th birthday with a triple treat at tonight’s second session of the Telstra Grand Prix in Cairns, winning three events in fine style.
Regarded as one of the hardest trainers on the Telstra Dolphins Australian women’s team, Mills wrapped up the 50m butterfly, the 100m freestyle and the 200 IM.
Mills turned the tables on butterfly specialists Jessicah Schipper, Felicity Galvez and Lara Devonport in the 50m, before displaying “catch me if you can” tactics to beat Libby Lenton and Jodie Henry in the 100m freestyle in 55.92.
She then showed all her fighting talents to come from behind to beat Australian record holder Leisel Jones in the 200IM (2:17.31).
“Things are certainly going very well at the moment after a solid two-weeks of training where I have really gone hard,” said Mills.
“I am now looking forward to the World Championships in Barcelona.”
The Cairns fans were treated to a real feast of swimming, with the crowd and the teams divided into three colours – the red, white and blue of the Australian flag, as the Dolphins raced for $50,000 in prize money.
Other winners on the second night of racing were:
Geoff Huegill in the 50 metres butterfly (24.20);
Sophie Edington in the women’s 50m backstroke (30.20);
Josh Watson in the men’s 50m backstroke (26.28);
Kasey Giteau in the 400m freestyle (4:15.22);
Todd Pearson, the 100m freestyle (51.14);
Mark Riley, the 50km breaststroke (29.23);
Leisel Jones, the 50m breaststroke (32.01);
Travis Nederpelt, the 200IM in 2:04.82;
and Ian Thorpe, the men’s 400m freestyle (3:53.94).
At the end of the second session, the battle for team supremacy sees Australia White leading with 104 points. Australia Blue (89) and Australia Red (73) follow.
The three-day meet finishes up on Sunday, with the session starting at 10am.