Kaylee McKeown Clocks Impressive 58.31 To Win 100m Backstroke At Victorian Open Championships
Olympic champion Kaylee McKeown has continued her impressive form at the 2022 Victorian Open in Melbourne tonight, clocking a solid 58.31 in an all-the-way 100m backstroke win.
It follows her cracking opening night win in the 200m backstroke where she clocked the seventh fastest time in history (2:04.64).
The 20-year-old, now in Michael Bohl’s Griffith University “Southport Super Squad” at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre, was 0.86 outside her own world record of 57.45 set at last year’s Olympic Trials in Adelaide and her Olympic record time, only a fingernail slower at 57.47.
McKeown, who owns 10 of the 25 fastest times of all-time was out in 28.90 and home in 29.41 in another outstanding swim as her and coach Bohl begin a new era in Australian swimming, together.
Another Gold Coaster, Tokyo Olympic 4x200m freestyle relay bronze medallist, Alex Graham (Miami, QLD) scored a comfortable win in the men’s 200m freestyle in 1:47.92 ahead of 2016 Cook Islands Olympian Wesley Roberts (Wests Illawarra, NSW) 1:50.82 and Tasmanian rising star Maximillian Giuliani (Hobart Aquatic) 1:51.20, third. And three of the stars of night one – the Smith girls, have again thrilled the crowd at the Melbourne Sports And Aquatic Centre – producing their second trifecta.
Last night saw Nunawading sister-act 23-year-old Mikayla Smith and 19-year-old Reidel Smith win the gold and silver medals respectively for Nunawading in the 100m breaststroke final with 17-year-old Matilda Smith (Hobart Aquatic Club) no relation, rounding off an all-Smith podium.
But tonight in was Matilda who upset her namesakes to win the women’s 200m breaststroke in 2:26.92, with the sisters Mikayla (2:27.94) and Reidel (2:29.81) keeping the medals all in the family in second and third.
In other events WA’s inspirational 34-year-old Holly Barratt (Rockingham), who keeps on keeping on, added her third title of the meet with a win in the 50m freestyle in 25.32 following her opening night gold medals in the 50m butterfly (26.44 ) and 100 freestyle (55.75 Rockingham).
Barratt (1:01.09) also finished second to Nunawading’s Kayla Costa’s impressive near personal best of 59.75 in the 100m butterfly, just edging out Nunawading 16-year-old Isabella Boyd (1:01.29).
The men’s 200m backstroke saw Mingara (NSW) Commonwealth Games dual silver medallist Bradley Woodward take the win in 2:00.11 from Southport, Queensland’s Will Sharp (2:01.94) with City of Sydney Aquatic Club’s Stuart Swinburn (2:03.60) third.
The men’s 100m breaststroke saw Victorian local Sam Williamson (Melbourne Vicentre) on top of the podium in 1:01.08 and ahead of Adam Selwood (Western Melbourne Propulsion) in 1:02.63 with Tokyo Olympian Matt Wilson (SOPAC) third in 1:03.01.