Several swimmers on the verge of selection on this year’s Rio Olympic team will spearhead Australia’s 30-strong team for this year’s Junior Pan Pacs in Hawaii in August.
National 200m breaststroke champion Matthew Wilson, bronze medal winning butterflyer Laura Taylor and brilliant backstroke teens Mina Atherton and Kaylee McKeown showed off their potential at the Georgina Hope Foundation Australian Age Championships and Hancock Prospecting Australian Championships in Adelaide last month.
As did emerging freestylers Elijah Winnington and Jack Cartwright, breaststroker Daniel Cave, butterfly sprinter Gemma Cooney and breaststroker Sarah Beale in an exciting all-round team who will have their sights set on the 2018 Commonwealth Games and 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
In what will be a “mini Olympics” the rising stars of swimming will face off against the cream of the crop in the USA, Japan, Canada, New Zealand and other Pacific Rim teams in Hawaii from August 24-27 .
Queensland clubs have again dominated selection, as they did in the Olympic team, with 19 of the 30 hailing from Queensland; five from NSW, four from Victoria and two from WA.
In encouraging signs for the next crop of Australians:
– Matt Wilson (SOPAC, NSW), the 17-year-old from the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney who went so close to the Rio team after he posted a time of 2:09.90 to win the 200m breaststroke – just 0.26 outside the Rio qualifying time. Wilson re-wrote the record-books setting no less than eight new Australian and Australian All-Comers 17 years’ records in both the 100 and 200m breaststrokes – taking the 100m mark to 1:00.54.
– Laura Taylor (TSS Aquatics, QLD) who finished third at the Australian Championships over 200m butterfly in 2:10.19 – behind Rio qualifiers Maddie Groves and Brianna Throssell.
– Minna Atherton (Brisbane Grammar, QLD) who finished second, third and fourth in the 50m, 100m and 200m backstrokes respectively – clocked Olympic qualifiers in both the 100 and 200m finals – 59.59 to finish third behind the world’s number one and two ranked 100m backstrokers Emily Seebohm and Maddi Wilson in the 100m and 2:08.23 (15 years Aust and Aust. All Comers) to finish fourth in the 200m behind dual Olympian Belinda Hocking, world champion Seebohm and Sian Whittaker in the 200.
– Kaylee McKeown (USC Spartans, QLD), who at just 14, clocked 1:00.64 to finish sixth in the 100m backstroke final that saw just over two seconds between the first seven swimmers and set a new 14 years age group record in the 200m backstroke with a 2:10.07 at the Australian Age Championships.
– Fifteen-year-old Elijah Winnington (Bond) who continued his rise up the ranks after his stunning National Age Championships to again lower his personal best 200m freestyle to 1:49.35 in the hotly contested pressure-cooker semi-finals.
– Another outstanding freestyler in Jack Cartwright (St Peters Western, QLD) who at 17, showed his potential also, clocking 1:50.57 in the 200m at the Australian Championships after starring at the National Age Championships in the 50, 100 and 200m freestyle events.
– Melbourne Vicentre’s Daniel Cave showed he was another on the rise, making his first Olympic Trials final in the 200m breaststroke in 2:14.79, while also clocking a 1:01.87 at the Age Championships;
– Gemma Cooney (River City Rapids, QLD) qualified for two finals in the 50m and 100m butterfly and Sarah Beale (Acacia Bayside, QLD) in the 200m breaststroke.
Australia’s Gold Coast Gold National Youth Coach Glenn Beringen praised the athletes and coaches and thanked the Australian Commonwealth Games Association for its contribution.
“This is a very exciting group – swimmers who could have quite easily been going to Rio,” said Beringen.
“Such is the depth in some of our events – the likes of Matt Wilson, Minna Atherton and Laura Taylor all won medals at the Open Nationals.
“They will certainly be on the radar as we get closer to 2018 and 2020.
“And in saying that the contribution of the Australian Commonwealth Games Association makes this team possible and on behalf of the team and Swimming Australia we acknowledge their support.
“The Junior Pacs has been a breeding ground for future Olympians and I can see the tradition continuing from this year’s group.”
The team will contest the Swimming Australia Grand Prix in Brisbane from June 30-July 3 before attending the National Youth Camp from July 3-9 in Canberra before leaving for Hawaii on the 19 August.
Swimming Australia would like to recognise and thank the Australian Commonwealth Games Association (ACGA) for the support provided for our Youth development programs.
Australian Dolphins Swim Team, 2016 Junior Pan Pacific Championships, Hawaii, August 24-27:
MEN
Jordan Brunt (Southport Olympic, QLD)
Jack Cartwright (St Peters Western, QLD)
Daniel Cave (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC)
Vincent Dai (SOPAC, NSW)
Daniel Jacobson (Albany Creek, QLD)
Leon MacAllister (Carlile, NSW)
Ethan McAleese (Rockingham, WA)
Alex Milligan (UWA West Coast, WA)
Max Osborn (TSS Aquatics, QLD)
Nathan Robinson (St Peters Western, QLD)
David Schlicht (MLC Aquatic, VIC)
Louis Townsend (Rackley, QLD)
Jacob Vincent (Miami, QLD)
Jacob Whale (Flyers, QLD)
Matthew Wilson (SOPAC, NSW)
Elijah Winnington (Bond, QLD)
Bradley Woodward (Mingara Aquatic, NSW)
WOMEN
Minna Atherton (Brisbane Grammar, QLD)
Molly Batchelor (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC)
Sarah Beale (Acacia Bayside, QLD)
Gemma Cooney (River City Rapids, QLD)
Francesca Fitzhenry (Trinity Grammar, NSW)
Julia Hawkins (Nunawading, VIC)
Eliza King Rackley (QLD)
Elli Mackay (St Peters Western, QLD)
Kaylee McKeown (USC Spartans, QLD)
Mikayla Messer (Chandler, QLD)
Kirrily Siebenhausen (Nudgee College, QLD)
Laura Taylor (TSS Aquatics, QLD)
Ariarne Titmus (Nudgee College, QLD)
Team Leader: Jamie Salter
Head Coach: Glenn Beringen
Coaches: Dean Boxall (St Peters Western, QLD), Shaun Crow (Acacia Bayside, QLD) Damien Jones (Rackley, QLD), Adam Kable(SOPAC, NSW), Ian Pope (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC)
Support Staff: Kirsty Greening (Manager), Cecilia Nguyen (Manager), Elise Bereza (Psychology), Luke Eggleston (Doctor), Cory Prout (Physiotherapist) Tom Barton (Physiotherapist), Laura Gray (Massage Therapist), Nick Smith (Performance Analysis), Simon Pearson (Performance Analysis), Erin McLeave (Physiology).
Courtesy of Swimming Australia.
