Australian Age Championships: Golden Start By Next Generation St Peters Western Stars Benjamin Goedemans And Amelia Weber
Australia’s next generation of swim stars have hit the pool in their thousands on the Gold Coast with champion club St Peters Western leading the way on night three of the 2023 Australian Age Championships.
Over 2,600 swimmers from 344 Clubs have converged onto the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre in their droves with Australia’s No 1 Club again providing a host of stars to watch over the next two weeks.
ON THE GO: St Peters Western’s Ben Goedemans on the move in the 400m freestyle. Photo Courtesy: Swimming Australia.
And it was freestylers Benjamin Goedemans and Amelia Weber who led the way in the 400 metres freestyle, while IM new-comer Indianna Cameron chiming in with a close-up gold.
Goedemans clocked a personal best time of 3:52.34 to swim away from the field to win the boys 18 years final from club mate Robert Thorpe in 3:57.38, with Noah Kamprad (Miami, QLD) third in 3:58.39.
In one of the swims of the night, Goedemans, a recent addition to the SPW super squad from Brisbane’s Acacia Bayside, powered home over the final 100m to start his campaign in spectacular fashion.
Goedemans was out in 55.69, touching at the 200m turn in 1:55.12 and splitting 1:57.22 over the second 200m, his final 100m in 57.47.
It came straight after Weber’s win in the girls 17 years 400m freestyle in 4:13.64 – hanging on over the final stages, after powering through the first 200m in a sizzling 2:01.82 to beat Molly Walker (Southern Performance, SA) 4:15.17 (2:05.26) and Bella Grant (Trinity Grammar, NSW) 4:15.73.
There was another cracking finish to the 17 years 400m freestyle with Chandler QLD’s Anders McAlpine snatching a nail-biter with Commonwealth Games and World Short Course Championship gold medalist Flynn Southam (Bond, QLD) – McAlpine’s final burst earning him the gold in 3:52.50 from Southam (3:52.62) with WA’s Johann Szymanski (Highlanders, WA) third in 3:54.22.
CLAIMING IT: Bond’s Gideon Burnes wins the 17 years 100m butterfly. Photo Courtesy: Swimming Australia.
While in the 17 years 100m breaststroke, Southam’s Bond teammate Gideon Burnes ripped out an eye-catching victory, clocking a personal best time of 1:02.40 to beat Manly Swimming Club’s IM star Josh Kerr (1:04.11) and Ryan Cothill (Southport, QLD) 1:04.26.
In another major highlight, Miami QLD’s newest recruit, former Somerset breaststroker Olympia Pope won the 14 years 100m breaststroke in an impressive personal best time of 1:09.26, ahead of Albury, NSW pair Sienna Toohey (1:10.28) and Isabelle Rae (1:11.07).
It was Pope’s second time under 1:10 for the day – after she clocked 1:09.89 in her morning preliminary swim.
And it was St Peters 15-year-old Indianna Cameron who stole her age group 200IM in 2:20.03 in one of several ding-dong battles on an exciting third night in the pool –touching the wall ahead of Julia Remington (Yeronga Park, QLD) by just 0.13 in 2:20.16 with Piper Asquith (Griffith University, QLD) third in 2:20.80 in a blanket finish.
Remington touched the wall last after the butterfly powering to the lead after the backstroke and breaststroke legs, but it was Cameron who claimed the gold in the last stroke.
It was an even closer finish in the 13 years girls 100m butterfly with just 0.25 separating the first four places.
ALL SMILES: Sunshine Coast Grammar’s Brydee Reid wins the 13 years 100m butterfly. Photo Courtesy: Swimming Australia.
Brydee Reid (Sunshine Coast Grammar, QLD) continued the success of the club’s MC stars Kael Thompson and Grace Brimelow, out-touching Kelly Bowman (Newmarket racers, QLD) by just 0.14 to take the gold and surprising even herself when she saw the scoreboard.
Reid winning the gold in 1:04.71 from Bowman 1:04.85, Anouk Potter (Southside Wesley Penrhos, SA) 1:04.90 and Caitlyn Haynes (Newmarket Racers, QLD) 1:04.96.
Sydney’s Northern Beaches club, the Warringah Aquatic Piranhas scored a gold medal double with Lachlan Davies winning the 14 years 200m backstroke in 2:07.81 with club mate Samuel Higgs winning the 15 years 200m IM in 2:05.39.
Higgs’ younger brother was also amongst the medals, finishing a close up second in a ding-dong battle with Lucas Fackerell (Breakers, WA) in the 14-15 years 1500m freestyle – Fackerell clocking 16:14.23 to Higgs 16:14.82 with Kai Gilbert (St Peters Western, QLD) third in 16.29.54.
RESULTS
2023 Australian Age Swimming Championships, Day 3:
GIRLS
13 Years
200m backstroke
- Macey Sheridan (Darwin, NT) 2:19.70
- Eloise McCellan (Somerville House, QLD) 2:21.58
- Heidi Shumack (SOPAC, NSW) 2:22.42
100m butterfly
- Brydee Reid (Sunshine Coast Grammar, QLD) 1:04.71
- Kelly Bowman (Newmarket Racers, QLD) 1:04.85
- Anouk Potter (Southside Wesley Penrhos, WA) 1:04.90
100m breaststroke
- Olympia Pope (Miami, QLD) 1:09.76
- Sienna Toohey (Albury, NSW) 1:10.28
- Isabelle Rae (Albury, NSW) 1:11.07
13-14 years
800m freestyle
- Ava Gaske (Chandler, QLD) 8:58.11
- Amelie Smith (Rocky City, QLD) 9:08.85
- Nia Davies (St Peters Western, QLD) 9:09.60
15 years
100m freestyle
- Sylvia Czajko (UWA West Coast, WA) 56.26
- Ainsley Trotter (St Peters Western, QLD) 56.33
- Zoe Ammundsen (Iona, QLD) 56.60
200m individual medley
- Indianna Cameron (St Peters Western, QLD) 2:20.03
- Julia Remington (Yeronga Park, QLD) 2:20.16
- Piper Asquith (Griffith University, QLD) 2:20.80
16 years
400m freestyle
- Taryn Roberts (Rocky City, QLD) 4:15.98
- Rebecca Rimondi (Italy) 4:16.26
- Hannah Reid (Iona, QLD) 4:16.29
100m breaststroke
- Audrey Dearling (Brisbane Grammar, QLD) 1:11.95
- Taryn Roberts (Rocky City, QLD) 1:12.59
- Stella Stuart (Brisbane Grammar, QLD) 1:12.62
17 years
200m breaststroke
- Mia Felton (Griffith University, QLD)
- Sophie Martin (Somerville House, 2:31.78)
- Lily McGowan (Tivoli Swim Club, NSW) 2:36.06
400m freestyle
- Amelia Weber (St Peters Western, QLD) 4:13.64
- Molly Walker (Southern Performance, SA) 4:15.17
- Bella Grant (Trinity Grammar, NSW) 4:15.73
Amelia Weber. Photo Courtesy: Swimming Australia.
BOYS
14 years
100m butterfly
- Kayden Gibson (Gladstone South, QLD) 57.38
- Sterling Tuxford (Trinity Grammar, NSW) 58.20
- Logan Rieck (Norwood, SA) 58.82
200m backstroke
- Lachlan Davies (Warringah Aquatic, NSW) 2:07.81
- Logan Rieck (Norwood, SA) 2:08.31
- Henry Allan (Bendigo East, VIC) 2:10.42.
Lachlan Davies. Photo Courtesy: Swimming Australia.
14-15 years 1500m freestyle
- Lucas Fackerell (Breakers, WA) 16.14.23
- Luke Higgs (Warringah Aquatic, NSW) 16:145.82
- Kai Gilbert (St Peters Western, QLD) 16.29.54
Lucas Fackerell. Photo Courtesy: Swimming Australia.
15 years
100m breaststroke
- Thomas Sutherland (Propulsion, VIC) 1:04.27
- Nicholas Stoupas (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) 1:04.65
- Ned Cane (SOPAC, NSW) 1:05.92
16 years
100m freestyle
- Marcus Da Silva (Cranbrook, NSW) 50.05
- James Gauci (SOPAC, NSW) 51.15
- Thomas Booth (Southside, QLD) 51.3
200m individual medley
- Samuel Higgs (Warringah Aquatic, NSW) 2:05.39
- Oscar Kreutzberger (North Albury, NSW) 2:06.98
- Xavier Metcalfe (Fraser Coast, QLD) 2:08.44
17 years
400m freestyle
- Anders McAlpine (Chandler, QLD) 3:52.50
- Flynn Southam (Bond, QLD) 3:52.62
- Johann Szymanski (Highlanders, WA) 3:54.22
Anders McAlpine. Photo Courtesy: Swimming Australia.
100m breaststroke
- Gideon Burnes (Bond, QLD) 1:02.40
- Joshua Kerr (Manly, NSW) 1:04.11
- Ryan Cothill (Southport, QLD) 1:04.26
Gideon Burnes. Photo Courtesy: Swimming Australia.
18 years
200m breaststroke
- Harrison Biddell (Marion, SA) 2:14.83
- Xavier Cuolahan (Ambrose Treacy, QLD) 2:18.12
- Joshua Anderson (Brisbane Grammar, QLD) 2:19.19
Harrison Biddell. Photo Courtesy: Swimming Australia.
400m freestyle
- Ben Goedemans (St Peters Western, QLD) 3:52.34
- Robert Thorpe (St Peters Western, QLD) 3:57.38
- Noah Kamprad (Miami, QLD) 3:58.39