Josh Edward-Smith, Alexandria Perkins and Lily Price Named in 20-Strong Australia A Team For TYR Pro Championships in Irvine
The world’s leading 200m backstroker Josh Edward-Smith and budding butterfly girls Alexandria Perkins and Lily Price have been named in a 20-strong Australia A team to contest the TYR Pro Championships in Irvine, California (USA) from July 26-29.
Queensland swimmers make up 13 spots – six of the 11 men and seven of the nine women with the team to spend a week together in staging camp in Laguna Hills, California before contesting the three-day meet.
HANDY BACKSTROKERS: Josh Edwards-Smith congratulates Bradley Woodward. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr Swimming Australia
There are three swimmers from NSW, two from Victoria and one each from South Australia and Western Australia.
Swimming Australia named the team after last week’s six-day Australia Trials Meet in Melbourne which saw the naming of Australia’s team – which included 28 Queenslanders named on the World Championship team for Fukuoka (July 14-30).
Edwards-Smith, 20, who had swum a time of 1:55.42 to lead the 2022-23 world rankings at last December’s Queensland State Titles, finished second at the Australian Trials to Fukuoka qualifier Bradley Woodward, unable to sneak under the qualifying time, clocking 1:57.29.
But he will get another great opportunity to show his wares when he and fellow Queensland backstroker Ty Hartwell, third at the Trials meet, join forces in LA.
And it’s not every Australian swimmer can say they came home from a major Trials meet boasting that they beat an Olympic champion – but that was the case with Perkins, 22 and Price, 20.
It happened in the final of the 50m butterfly when Perkins (25.92) and Price (25.97) finished first and second ahead of McKeon (26.09) – both swimming personal bests and swimming in to the Australian all-time top 10.
Perkins made her green and gold debut at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games where she reached the final of both the 50m and 100m butterfly and took home a gold medal for a heat swim in the mixed 4x100m medley.
For Price, her selection is the first time she has made an Australian team, a reward for her outstanding results at the Trials, finishing third behind Olympic bronze medallist McKeon and dual Olympian Brianna Throssell in the hotly contested 100m butterfly.
McKeon winning in 56,74, ahead of Throssell (57.66), Price (57.78) – which bumped her up to the 10th fastest Australian with Perkins a fingernail behind in fourth personal best of 57.80.
The Pro Championship Meet, which is open to all nations, will provide invaluable top class international competition for swimmers with their sights on next year’s Paris Olympic Trials.
FREQUENT FLYER: Alex Perkins has booked her seat to LAX. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr Swimming Australia
WAIS head coach Ben Higson (WA) will lead the team, supported by Queensland coaches David Proud(Brisbane Performance Hub, Chandler) and Janelle Pallister (Co-Coach Gold Coast High Performance Hub/Griffith University) and Craig Stewart (SA).
Olympian and former world champion Linley Frame (VIC) has been appointed as Team Manager with Tom Barton (Physiotherapist), Michael Thiel-Paul (massage therapist) and Nicholas Smith (bio mechanist) making up the support staff.
Swimming Australia’s General Manager Performance Pathways, Gary Barclay, the Team Lead for the US Tour said that providing international racing opportunities for this group of athletes is vital to ensuring continued upward pressure for places on the Paris Olympic Team.
“The quality of US swimmers competing at these Championships is very high and this will enable our Australian swimmers to gain further experience travelling and competing one year out from the main game,” Barclay said.
The full Australian A Team to contest TYR Pro Championships, Irvine, California, July 26-29 is:
MEN
- Bowen Gough, 25, (Griffith University, QLD)
- Charlie Hawke 20, (Hunter, NSW)
- Haig Buckingham,19, (SOPAC, NSW)
- Jesse Coleman, 18, (Bond Swimming, QLD)
- Jezze Gorman, 22, (St Andrews, QLD)
- Joshua Edwards-Smith, 20, (Griffith University, QLD)
- Joshua Yong, 21, (UWA West Coast, WA)
- Matthew Galea,21 (SOPAC, NSW)
- Thomas Nowakowski, 22, (Somerset, QLD)
- Ty Hartwell, 22, (Chandler, QLD)
- William Petric, 18, (Nunawading, VIC)
- WOMEN:
- Alexandria Perkins, 22, (USC Spartans, QLD)
- Brittany Castelluzzo, 22, (Tea Tree Gully, SA)
- Bronte Job, 20, (Rackley Swim Team, QLD)
- Ella Ramsay, 18, (Chandler, QLD)
- Hannah Fredericks, 20, (St Peters Western, QLD)
- Lily Price, 20, (Rackley Swim Team, QLD)
- Mia O’Leary, 20, (Bond Swimming, QLD)
- Mikayla Smith, 24, (Griffith University, QLD)
- Olivia Lefoe,20, (Nunawading, VIC)
Head Coach: Ben Higson (WA)
Coaches: David Proud (QLD), Janelle Pallister (QLD)
Team Manager: Linley Frame (VIC)
Support Staff: Tom Barton (Physiotherapist), Michael Thiel-Paul (massage therapist) and Nicholas Smith (bio mechanist)