AUSTRALIAN TRIALS, Day 6, Heats: Shayna The Jack of Hearts Now The Trump Card In Tonight’s 50m Freestyle Finale with Emma McKeon and Cate Campbell
Shayna Jack (St Peters Western, QLD) is primed to become the next swimmer to break the 24 seconds barrier in tonight’s red hot 50m freestyle final on the last night of the Australian Trials in Brisbane.
While Olympic champion Emma McKeon (Griffith University, QLD) and 2008 Olympic bronze medallist Cate Campbell (Chandler, QLD) have given themselves one last chance, qualifying for 50m free final.
Swimming pop star, Cody Simpson (Griffith University, QLD) also made the final in the men’s 100m butterfly after missing the A final in the men’s 100mm freestyle.
Jack’s next chance for Paris comes 24 hours after her rewarding performance to claim an individual berth in the 100m last night three years after she watched the Tokyo Games from her loungeroom couch.
Australia’s fourth fastest 50m freestyler was like a shot out of a gun to win her heat this morning in 24.02 -0 just 0.01 off her personal best – swum in Fukuoka last year.
She now also sits as the fourth fastest in the World this year in the countdown to the Paris Olympics behind world record holder Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) 23.69, Katie Douglas (USA) 23.91 and Kasia Wasick (POL) 23.95 – and sitting in fifth is Cate Campbell (Chandler, QLD) who has swum 24.10 his season.
The top eight into the final are:
Shayna Jack (St Peters Western, QLD) 24.02
Meg Harris (Rackley, QLD) 24.47
Bronte Campbell (Cruiz, ACT) 24.56
Emma McKeon (Griffith University 24.72
Olivia Wunsch (Carlile, NSW) 24.73
Cate Campbell (Chandler, QLD) 24.85
Mollie O’Callaghan (St Peters Western, QLD) 24.87
Alexandria Perkins (USC Spartans, QLD) 25.02
50 METRE FREESTYLE: WORLD RECORD 23.61 SARAH SJOSTROM
Australian All-Time Top 10 in the 50m freestyle
23.78 Cate Campbell 1992 Gold Coast 07.04.18
23.81 Emma McKeon 1994 Tokyo 01.08.21
23.97 Lisbeth Trickett 1985 Sydney 29.03.08
24.01 Shayna Jack 1998 Fukuoka 23.07.23
24.12 Bronte Campbell 1994 Kazan 09.08.15
24.28 Meg Harris 2002 Gold Coast 17.04.24
24.39 Melanie Schlanger 1986 Glasgow 26.07.14
24.49 Alice Mills 1986 Sydney 19.03.05
24.51 Holly Barrett 1988 Adelaide 12.06.21
24.52 Mollie O’Callaghan 2004 Adelaide 22.05.22
Meanwhile in other events, Matt Temple (Marion, SA) looked comfortable in winning his 100m butterfly heat in 51.46 – the top qualifier, followed into the final by 50m freestyle qualifier Ben Armbruster (Bond, QLD) 51.57, Jesse Coleman (Bond, QLD) 51.67, Shaun Champion (Abbottsleigh, NSW) 51.74, , Simpson 51.78, Harrison Turner (Nudgee, QLD) 52.49 and Jack Carr St Andrews, QLD) 52.66 and Thomas Nankervis (Griffith Uni, QLD) 52.78.
The 400Ims look like a shoot-out in the men’s between Olympic bronze medallist from Tokyo Brendon Smith (Griffith University, QLD) and Will Petric (Nunawading, VIC) – Petric the fastest qualifier in 4:20.40 and Smith winning his heat in 4:20.40 – a QT of 4:12.50.
And in the women’s between 2023 World’s bronze medallist Jenna Forrester (St Peters Western, QLD) 4:43.53 this morning and Ella Ramsay (Chandler) – already on the team in the 200IM and the 200m breaststroke – who was second in 4:44.57.- (The girls have a QT of 4:38.53.