Australian Age Champs: Flying Flynn Southam Takes Down A Kyle Chalmers Record And Gives Thorpie A Nudge Along The Way
One of the rising stars of Australian swimming, Bond University’s Flynn Southam has taken down a Kyle Chalmers 100m freestyle record, clocking a sizzling 48.60, also giving Ian Thorpe a nudge along the way in the Australian Age Swimming Championships in Adelaide.
Last night Southam broke Chalmers 16 years Australian Age record of 48.69, set back in 2015, just 12 months before he captured Olympic gold in Rio.
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It came just 24 hours after his impressive opening swim at the SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre, where he gave Ian Thorpe’s 1999 Australian record time (the world record Thorpe set at the Pan Pacs in Sydney) of 1:46.00, a real fright, with his eye-catching 200m freestyle time of 1:46.77 (52.23 and 54.54).
The Gold Coast youngster, now coached by Bond head coach Chris Mooney, has been set for next month’s Australian Championships and World Championships and Commonwealth Games Selection Trials, also set for the SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre.
Bond University’s Director of Coaching Kyle Samuelson and the coach who has steered Southam through his teenage years until Mooney’s appointment said the youngster would target the main Trials.
“The Trials will be his major focus, with him only having a few days rest for the Age meet,” Samuelson said on the eve of the meet.
Southam was one of the real stars of last year’s National Age with National Head Coach Rohan Taylor inviting Southam into the two Australian relay camps and mixing with the likes Chalmers, Matt Temple, Zac Incerti and Alex Graham as the Dolphins prepared for Tokyo.
Australia ruled the 200m freestyle pool through 1999, 2000 and 2001 with world record swims to Grant Hackett (1:46.67) and Thorpe (1:46.34; 1:46.00; 1:45.69; 1:45.51; 1:44.69; 1:44.06) with Dutchman Pieter Van den Hoogenband’s chiming in with his double WR spike of 1:45.35 in the semi-final and again in the final at the Sydney Olympics.
In other record breaking swims:
Olympia Pope (Somerset, QLD) smashed her own Australian 13 years 200m breaststroke mark to 2:31.71 after setting the previous record at last year’s Queensland Championships at 2:32.61.
While Hannah Casey (Marist College Ashgrove) clocked 1:58.49 to break Lani Pallister’s 2018 15 years Australian record of 1:59.37 after earlier winning the 15 years 100m freestyle in 54.30 from Olivia Wunsch (Carlile) 54.82 and Milla Jansen (Bond) 54.94 – impressive times all under 55 seconds from Australia’s next crop of 100m freestyle sprinters.
Southam will line up in today’s 16 years 50m freestyle entered on a 22.67 – a National record also held by Chalmers at 22.33.
Hope to see him line up with Chalmers in Paris 2024 especially in that sprint relay