Koti Ngawati claims golden freestyle sprint double then Skins the field for $1000
Rio Olympian Koti Ngawati (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) has cashed in on a solid preparation with a memorable sprint double and a $1000 bonus after a successful two days racing at the 2019 Hancock Prospecting Australian Short Course Championships in Melbourne.
Ngawati (24.63) added the 50m freestyle title to the 100m freestyle crown she secured on night one with a powerful victory over Julia Hawkins (Nunawading, VIC) 24:80 and Mia O’Leary (St Peters Western, QLD) 25:07 in the 50m freestyle final.
And she then showed her staying power with a thrilling dash for cash to win the 200m, 100, 50m freestyle Skins event, edging out club mate Elyse Woods in the final 50m dash with $1000 up for grabs to the winner.
Ngawati will now face a tough double on the final day when she goes head-to-head over 200IM with Meg Bailey (Hunter, NSW) who added the 100IM tonight to her 400IM title from night one.
It will then be the 200m freestyle as Ngawati attempts a rare feat to add the 200m freestyle to her 50 and 100m titles.
The men’s Skins was one of the closest battles of the night with Nunawading young gun tradie Matthew Temple out-touching Olympic champion Mack Horton by 0,18 in the final 50m.
In the men’s 200m freestyle it was visiting Malaysian Olympian Sim Wilson, who powered off the final turn to steal a march on his Australian rivals, Thomas Hauck (All Saints, QLD) and Joshua Hertz (SOPAC, NSW) who had led with 75 metres to swim.
Wilson, a three-time gold medallist over 200 and 400m freestyle at the South East Asian Games, clocked 1:45.01 to Hauck’s 1:45.42 with Hertz clocking 1:45.68.
With Hauck the first Australian to touch the wall, the 16-year-old claims his second Australian title in two nights, after his eye-catching win in the 400m freestyle on Night One.
There was no rest for the lanky teenager who backed up shortly after with a solid fifth place finish in the 200m backstroke (1:55.28) in a race that saw Rio Olympian Travis Mahoney (Marion) assert his authority on the race, winning in 1:51.28 from Bradley Woodward (Mingara, NSW) and Tristan Hollard (Southport Olympic) 1:54.39.
Kiah Melverton showed no ill-effects from her 800m freestyle win on night one, backing up to lead a podium sweep to the Chris Nesbitt coached TSS Aquatic club with Melverton leading all the way to win in 4:03.50 with Moesha Johnson (4:06.84) again taking the silver with Commonwealth Games butterflyer Laura Taylor (4:06.86) the bronze.
Sam’s the man with new All-Comers Record
The men’s 100m breaststroke has a new player on the blocks with Firbank Aquastars Samuel Williamson claiming a new Australian All-Comers record in the heats of 57.62 in the heats (bettering Tommy Sucipto’s 2016 time of 57.67) to become the 4th fastest All-Time Australian, before winning gold in the final in 57.94.
In the morning heats it was WA’s Ben Roberts (Breakers, WA) who stole his first open title, winning the 800mn freestyle from Sam Short (Albany Creek, QLD) 7:53.44 with 2017 winner and three-time 1500m champion Joshua Parrish (TSS Aquatic, QLD) 7:53.74.
Short, also an accomplished surf swimmer from a strong family history with Maroochydore SLSC, swam the fastest 800mm SC 800m by a 16-year-old – faster than previous record holder, none other than Olympic champion, Mack Horton who set the previous best in 2012.
Meanwhile Jenna Strauch (Bond) claimed back-to-back National titles in the women’s 200m breaststroke with an all-the-way victory in 2:21.75, ahead of Tara Kinder (DVE Aquatic) 2:23.31 with Sweden’s Jessica Eriksson third in 2:23.61 and Pelican Waters 2012 Olympian Tessa Wallace taking the third placed Australian in 2:25.05.
Earlier in the night 17-year-old Gabriella Peiniger (56.54) claimed her first National open title making her the seventh fastest all-time Australian when she stormed to victory in the women’s 100m butterfly.
The MLC Aquatic teen went out fast and the pack were unable to chase her down, with 16-year-old Olivia Collins (St Peters Western) touching for silver in 58.94 and Alice Stuart (TSS Aquatic) picking up bronze in 59.23.
2019 HANCOCK PROSPECTING AUSTRALIAN SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS, Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre
MEN
800m freestyle
Gold: Ben Roberts (Breakers, WA) 7:51.95
Silver: Sam Short (Albany Creek, QLD) 7:53.44 (15
Bronze: Joshua Parrish (TSS Aquatic, QLD) 7:53.74.
200 Freestyle
Gold: Sim Welson (Malaysia) 1:45.01
Gold: Thomas Hauck (All Saints GC, QLD) 1:45.42
Silver: Joshua Hertz (SOPAC, NSW) 1:45.68
Bronze: Jackson Govers (St Hilda’s, WA) 1:46.70
200 Backstroke
Gold: Travis Mahoney (Marion, SA) 1:51.83
Silver: Bradley Woodward (Mingara Aquatic, NSW) 1:53.17
Bronze: Tristan Hollard (Southport Olympic, QLD) 1:54.39
100 Breaststroke
Gold: Samuel Williamson (Firbank Aquastars, VIC) 57:94 (57.62 AUS All-comers rec set in the heats; 4th fastest All-Time Australian)
Silver: James McKechnie (Starplex, SA) 58:60
Bronze: Tomas Elliott (Ravenswood, QLD) 59:19
200 IM
Gold: Tomas Elliott (Ravenswood, NSW) 1:58:45
Silver: Kieren Pollard (North Coast, WA) 1:59.19
Bronze: James McKechnie (Starplex, SA) 1:59.37
50 Butterfly
Gold: Joseph Schooling (Singapore) 22.70
Gold: Edward Marks (Carlile, NSW) 23:09
Silver: Tzen Wei Teong (Singapore) 22.74
Silver: David Morgan (TSS Aquatic, SA) 23:15
Bronze: Mathew Temple (Nunawading, VIC) 23:18
4×200 Freestyle Relay
Gold: Melbourne Vicentre, VIC (Jack Gerrard, Benno Nergri, Oliver Nash, Mack Horton) 7:13.43
Silver: Nunawading, VIC (Bowen Gough, Brendon Smith, Evan Chee, Matthew Temple) 7:16.68
Bronze: Ravenswood, NSW (Myles Bailey, Jack Edie, Andrew Newling, Tomas Elliott) 7:17.67
Skins (200m, 100m, 50m)
1st: Matt Temple (Nunawading, VIC) – $1000
2nd: Mack Horton (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC)
MULTI-CLASS
100m Freestyle
Gold: Jack Ireland S14 (Uni of Queensland, QLD) 52:69
Silver: Matthew Levy S7 (North Sydney, NSW) 1:02.08
Bronze: Daniel Fox S14 (TSS Aquatic, QLD) 54:09
100m Backstroke
Gold: Ahmed Kelly S3 (Melbourne VIC Centre, VIC) 1:57.78
Silver: Rod Welsh S10 (Northcote, VIC) 1:00.35
Bronze: Daniel Fox S14 (TSS Aquatic, QLD) 1:02.65
50m Butterfly
Gold: Levy Mathew S7 (North Sydney, NSW) 31.70
Silver: Jack Ireland S14 (Uni Queensland, QLD) 27:34
Bronze: Bailey Stewart S14 (Uni Queensland, QLD) 28:63
Women
400 Freestyle
Gold: Kiah Melverton (TSS Aquatic, QLD) 4:03.50
Silver: Moesha Johnson (TSS Aquatic, QLD) 4:06:84
Bronze: Laura Taylor (TSS Aquatic, QLD) 4:06:86
100 Butterfly
Gold: Gabriella Peiniger (MLC Aquatic, VIC) 56:54
Silver: Olivia Collins (St Peters Western, QLD) 58.94
Bronze: Alice Stuart (TSS Aquatic, QLD) 59:23
100 Backstroke
Gold: Hayley Baker (Canberra, ACT) 57:71
Silver: Jessica Unicomb (Griffith Uni, QLD) 59:19
Bronze: Emily Jones (Hunter, NSW) 1:00.05
200 Breaststroke
Gold: Jenna Strauch (Bond Uni, QLD) 2:21.75
Silver: Tara Kinder (DVE Aquatic, VIC) 2:23.31
Bronze: Jessica Eriksson (Sweden) 2:23.61
Bronze: Tessa Wallace (Pelican Waters, QLD) 2:25.05
50 Freestyle
Gold: Kotuku Ngawati (Melbourne VIC Centre, VIC) 24:63
Silver: Julia Hawkins (Nunawading, VIC) 24:80
Bronze: Mia O’Leary (St Peters Western, QLD) 25:07
100 IM
Gold: Meg Bailey (Hunter, NSW) 1:00.16
Silver: Hayley Baker (Canberra, ACT) 1:01.26
Bronze: Charli Brown (Manly, NSW) 1:01.52
4×200 Freestyle Relay
Gold: TSS Aquatic, QLD (Moesha Johnson, Kiah Melverton, Laura Taylor, Alice Stuart) 8:00.51
Silver: MLC Aquatic (Gabriella Peiniger, Olivia Lefoe, Kirralee Shepherd, Bethany Dalgleish) 8:07.72
Bronze: Griffith University, QLD (Lucinda Macleod, Taylor Timpani, Paris Vasta, Jessica Unicomb) 8:18.39
Skins (200m, 100m, 50m freestyle)
1st Kotuku Ngawati (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) $1000
2nd Elyse Woods (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC)
MULTI-CLASS
100m backstroke
Gold: Katherine Downie (Perth City, WA) 1:11.73
Silver: Jamie-Lee Getson (Melbourne Torpedoes, VIC ) 1:09.86
Bronze: Ruby Storm (Traralgon, VIC) 1:11.92
100m freestyle
Gold: Ashleigh McConnell S9 (Melbourne Vic Centre, VIC) 1:03.83
Silver: Taylor Corry S14 (Nelson Bay, NSW) 1:00.42
Bronze: Katherine Downie S10 (Perth City, WA) 1:02.32
50m butterfly
Gold: Taylor Corry 14 (Nelson Bay, NSW) 29:27
Silver: Ruby Storm S14 (Traralgon, VIC) 29:27
Bronze: Yasmine-Bella Younes S14 (Bankstown Sports, NSW) 34:81