Australian Trials: Kai Taylor Steals 200m Freestyle From Lane Eight, Just Like Mum Hayley Lewis 32 Years Ago
History certainly does have a habit of repeating itself so no wonder Kai Taylor’s fairytale victory from lane eight in tonight’s 200m freestyle final at the Australian Trials had his mother, the legendary Hayley Lewis in tears after cheering him on wildly from the grandstand.
Nineteen-year-old Taylor (St Peters Western, QLD) received a late call up to swim in lane eight after fastest qualifier, Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers withdrew from the final and sent him a text telling him he was in the final.
KAI’S THE LIMIT: Kai Taylor’s mum, former world champion Hayley Lewis and father Greg Taylor celebrate for lane eight. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
Taylor, the Australian champion a month ago, had missed the top eight cut by 0.11 – ruining any chance he had of making his first World Championship team and Australia’s 4x200m freestyle relay – a likely medal hope.
But just like his mother Hayley did as a 16-year-old at the 1991 World Championships in Perth, Kai Taylor took a leaf out of his famous mum’s family album, kept his cool, put his head down and won from lane eight.
Lewis had finished third in the 200m freestyle in the December 1990 World Trials in Brisbane – behind fellow Queenslander Julie McDonald and WA’s Nicole Redford – missing an individual swim for the 1991 January Worlds in Perth.
And 32 years ago it was noted distance swimmer McDonald, the Olympic bronze medallist over 800m from Seoul in 1988, who herself withdrew from the official event list before the Championships.
Leaving Lewis and Redford to represent Australia in the 200m freestyle in Perth with McDonald presenting her fellow Queenslander with a gold medal opportunity.
But when Lewis, who had already won silver in the 400 IM, qualified in lane eight for the final she told master coach Joe King she wanted to withdraw from the final, to concentrate on the 400m freestyle.
Joe agreed but after sleeping on it and when told by team mates and likely by head coach Don Talbot that she could win Australia’s first gold medal, Lewis decided to swim – and like son Kai tonight – stole Australia’s first gold medal of the pool as what Talbot always called “an outside smoker.”
Taylor, who had won the Australian 200m freestyle title in 1:46.65 on the Gold Coast in April, beating fellow young gun Flynn Southam (Bond, QLD) and SPW teammate Elijah Winnington, was expected to be a real chance but had a shocker in this morning’s heat – clocking 1:48.37.
Beaten by Southam for the final place in the final.
That was before Chalmers spoke to Australian head coach Rohan Taylor, saying he was withdrawing to concentrate on his pet event the 100m freestyle on Friday and the 100m butterfly on Sunday.
ANXIOUS MOMENTS: Hayley Lewis and husband Greg Taylor. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr Swimming Australia
And Taylor wasted no time setting up the sweetest of victories of his short career under super coach Dean Boxall at St Peters Western – and booking a place on his first World Championship team to Fukuoka.
It will be Taylor’s first Worlds – 22 years after mum Hayley’s third and final World Championships – fittingly also swum in Fukuoka where she won bronze in the 5km open water for a perfect swansong, before Kai was born and with his brother Jacob running around on the beach.
Taylor scooted away down the first 50m in 24.46 and was never headed, splitting 51.56 at the 100m turn and 1:18.80 at the 150m mark – hanging in, just like Mum, to clock his personal best time of 1:46.25.
Beating home Tokyo trio Alex Graham (Miami, QLD) 1:46.68, Tommy Neill (Rackley Swim Team, QLD) 1:46.82 and last night’s 400m freestyle qualifier Elijah Winnington (St Peters Western, QLD) 1:46.85, as well as Southam 1:47.11, another Tokyo bronze medallist Brendon Smith (Griffith University, QLD) 1:47.20, Charlie Hawke(Hunter, NSW) 1:47.25 and Max Giuliani (Miami, QLD) 1:48.05.
Throw in Chalmers heat time of 1:46.97 (the fifth fastest time of the day) and although Taylor and Graham didn’t make the automatic individual selection time of 1:46.06, the selectors will have plenty to choose from for what will be a competitive 4x200m freestyle relay.
LUCKY LANE EIGHT: Kai Taylor stroked with his win. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
Taylor admitted his morning swim was definitely a bit of a disappointment and there were tears.
“But fortunately Kyle pulled out and that got me in eighth spot and I think that definitely took the pressure off me a little bit,” said Taylor.
“I think going into this morning I was feeling a little tense, a little bit of the pressure coming off my win at Nationals.
“But going into that [final] eighth and having the pressure taken off me and just sort of going, you know what, who cares, it is what it is. If it doesn’t go well it doesn’t go well. If it does, it does. And I think that’s really what helped me in that race.
“Even though Mum is a legend of the sport, she just wants me to be happy and do whatever I want to do. She said to me ‘go do your thing tonight, just stay calm’.
“She did however, mention that great things happen from lane eight…”
Speaking to poolside interviewer, two-time Olympian Matt Welsh after the race, Taylor said “My plan was to stay calm (as Mum said) …just do my thing…and it paid off…!”
Welsh, himself a world champion, complimented Taylor on his solid third 50 metre split.
“That will make my coach Dean Boxall happy because I’m not known for my third 50s…it’s usually my weakest lap,” said Taylor.
And then Welsh asked if mum Hayley was at the pool tonight?
Kai turned away from the camera, pointed and said: “Yep..Mum’s here….I can see her up in the grandstand…she’s now the one crying.”
FLASHBACK TO SWIMMER OF THE YEAR FOR 1991: Hayley Lewis celebrates her big award with her master coach Joe King, winner of the 1991 Coach Of The Year. Photo Courtesy: Hanson Media Collection.
FOOTNOTE: Hayley Lewis was one of Australia’s golden girls of the pool between 1990 and 2001 – swimming at three Olympics in Barcelona, Atlanta and Sydney and three World Championships in Perth, Rome and Fukuoka. Winning two Olympic medals, silver and bronze in Barcelona and six World Championship medals – a gold, three silver and two bronze. Lewis also won 11 Commonwealth Games medals – including a record five gold (four individuals) at the 1990 Auckland Games to launch what would be a celebrated career and she was just 15.
2023 Australian World Trials, Melbourne Sports And Aquatic Centre, RESULTS, Day 2:
Men’s 100m backstroke
Issac Cooper (St Andrew’s, QLD) 53.46
Bradley Woodward (Mingara, NSW) 53.85
Joshua Edwards-Smith (Griffith University, QLD) 54.52
Isaac Cooper: Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr Swimming Australia
Women 100m breaststroke
Abbey Harkin (St Peters Western, QLD) 1:07.20
Mikayla Smith (Griffith University, QLD) 1:07.94
Talara-Jade Dixon (St Hildas WA) 1:08.64
Abbey Harkin: Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr Swimming Australia
Men 200m Freestyle
Kai Taylor (St Peters Western,QLD) 1:46.25
Alexander Graham (Miami, QLD) 1:46.68
Thomas Neill (Rackleys Swim Team, QLD) 1:46.82
Kai Taylor: Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr Swimming Australia
Women 100m Backstroke
Kaylee McKeown (Griffith University, QLD) 57.50 (Q)
Mollie O’Callaghan (St Peters Western, QLD) 58.42 (Q)
Iona Anderson (Breakers WA) 1:00.05
Kaylee McKeown: Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr Swimming Australia
Men 50m Butterfly
Cameron McEvoy (Somerville House, QLD) 23.07
Shaun Champion, (Abbotsleigh, NSW) 23.46
Matthew Temple (Marion, SA) 23.47
Cam McEvoy and Cody Simpson. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr Swimming Australia
For full results – click here.
For full program – click here.