Bronte Campbell Returns to Winners Circle At NSW State Short Course Championships
Next stop, the Australian Short Course Championships at the Sydney Sprints Meet for dual Olympic gold medalist Bronte Campbell after returning to the winners circle yesterday.
The 29-year-old took out the 50 and 100m freestyle double at the NSW State Short Course Championships at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre, clocking 52.52 in the 100m and 24.40 to take out the 50m.
Swimming for the ACT-based Cruiz Swimming Club under Olympic gold medal coach Shannon Rollason, Campbell was out in 24.98 and home in 27.54, pleasing Rollason, who later confirmed she would start at the Australian Championships in two weeks – September 13-16.
The four-day Nationals will also be swum at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre.
Campbell, beat Sydney Brown (Wests Illawarra) 54.12 and Clare Robertson (Warringah Aquatic) 55.75 in the 100m before returning to capture the 50m from Cruiz team mate Abbey Webb 25.17 with Brown third in 25.26.
Brown won the 50m butterfly in 26.69 ahead of Claudia Fydler (Knox Pymble) 27.31 and Commonwealth Youth Games silver medallist Lillie McPherson (Manly) 27.53 before finishing second to Webb in the 200m freestyle –Webb winning the title in 1:56.67 to Brown’s 1.58.11 with Sarah Locke (Wests Illawarra) third in 1:59.79.
Campbell, the five-time World Championship gold medalist made her return to swimming after the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 at the Sydney Open Meet in May this year, after linking with Rollason in Canberra – dividing her sessions between the ACT and Sydney.
Another to catch the eye in Sydney has been Campbell’s Olympic teammate, distance specialist Madeleine Gough (Carlile; Chris Nesbit) who won the distance treble – starting wth the 1500m in 15:55.76 , adding the 400m freestyle in 4:06.73 before backing up on the final day to add the 800m in 8:23.58 – as she too prepares for the National SC Championships.