New Wave Of Australian Dolphins Make Historic World Juniors Splash in Netanya (ISR)
A new wave of Australian swimmers have arrived home after an historic World Junior Championship performance in Netanya, Israel with a record haul of medals and a host of budding new stars, led by Sydney schoolgirl Olivia Wunsch.
The success of the Junior Dolphins with a haul of 24 medals (9 Gold, 7 Silver and 8 bronze) follows hot on the heels of the senior Dolphins barnstorming medal count of 25 – 13 of them gold with five world records from the Fukuoka World Championships.
Following in the footsteps of Australia’s world beating team led by Mollie O’Callaghan, Kaylee McKeown and Ariarne Titmus who took Fukuoka by storm.
The six-day Junior World’s meet unearthed a talent flow that will ensure next year’s Olympic Swim Trials will take the sport to another level.Wunsch, under coach Mikayla Pattison (Carlile Swimming, NSW) finished the meet with an incredible six medals – five of them gold – including the blue ribband 50/100m freestyle sprint double and six sizzling laps in all three of Australia’s gold medal winning relay teams.
She clocked two career best times – winning the 100m freestyle in 53.71 – her first time under 54 with teammate Milla Jansen (Bond Swimming) finishing second in 54.08 – to ram home Australia’s remarkable 100m freestyle depth.
The 100m is the second fastest time in any of nine World Championship events since the inaugural titles in Rio in 2006 and Wunsch equalled the 50m Championship record of 24.59, swum by Japan’s Rikako Ikee in Indianapolis in 2017.
Becoming the first Australian since two-time Olympic relay gold medallist Bronte Campbell in 2011 in Lima to win the 50m freestyle title.
She also rocketed herself into a rare relay realm for a 17-year-old in the gold medal winning:
Mixed 4x100m freestyle Relay: 53.62.
Women’s 4x100m freestyle relay (anchor) 52.61 and.
Women’s 4x100m medley relay (anchor) 52.73.
Australia now has world senior and junior world champions in seven events:
- Women’s 100m freestyle (Mollie O’Callaghan and Olivia Wunsch)
- Women’s 400m freestyle (Ariarne Titmus and Jamie Perkins) Both from the same St Peters Western club in Brisbane, QLD)
- Women’s 100m backstroke (Kaylee McKeown and Jaclyn Barclay)
- Women’s 50m backstroke (Kaylee McKeown and Iona Anderson) and;
- Three relays – Mixed 4x100m freestyle (both with World Records); Women’s 4x100m freestyle and Women’s 4x100m medley (after the USA were disqualified).
The Dolphins are building unprecedented depth towards the next World’s in Doha in February – a warm up like no other for “the big Olympic dance” in Paris next July.
The result of the development of a group of established Olympic and world champions and coaches from Tokyo and Fukuoka combined with an exciting group of emerging stars and coaches from Netanya who have stepped up, accepting the exciting challenges ahead.
Fittingly, the man who coached Bronte Campbell throughout her career, Simon Cusack, was on hand in Netanya to witness the arrival of Liv Wunsch and guide the next generation in his role as Head Coach of the Australian Junior team.
Swimming Australia’s General Manager Performance Pathways Gary Barclay praised his team, saying: “I’m so proud to lead this Australian Junior Dolphins (team) to a record medal haul at the 2023 World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships in Israel.
“As the Head Coach, Simon Cusack worked with a fine team of coaches including Jol Finck, Michaela Pattinson, Kyle Samuelson, Richard Sleight, Benjamin Tuxford and James Boyce, along with team manager Hayley Vandenboon and our hard-working support staff.”
AUSTRALIAN MEDAL HAUL (24)
GOLD (9)
Olivia Wunsch (Carlile, NSW)
Women’s 50m freestyle 24.59 =CR
Olivia Wunsch (Carlile, NSW)
Women’s 100m freestyle 53.71
Jaclyn Barclay (St Peters Western, QLD)
Women’s 100m backstroke): 59.47
Jamie Perkins (St Peters Western, QLD)
Women’s 400m freestyle 4:05.72
Iona Anderson (Breakers, WA)
Women’s 50m backstroke 28.01
Flynn Southam (Bond Swimming, QLD)
Men’s 200m freestyle): 1:46.57
Mixed 4x100m freestyle Relay
Flynn Southam (Bond Swimming, QLD) 48.58
Ed Sommerville (Brisbane Grammar, QLD) 48.54
Olivia Wunsch (Carlile, NSW) 53.62
Milla Jansen (Bond, QLD) 53.55
Time: 3:24.29 (WJ/CR)
Women’s 4x100m freestyle relay
Milla Jansen (Bond Swimming, QLD) 54.18
Hannah Casey (Marist College Ashgrove, QLD) 54.89
Jamie de Lutiis (Wests Illawarra, NSW) 54.84
Olivia Wunsch 52.61
Time: 3:36.52
Women’s 4x100m medley relay
Jaclyn Barclay (St Peters Western, QLD) 1:00.17
Hayley Mackinder (Griffith University, QLD) 1:08.63
Isabella Boyd (Nunawading, VIC) 59.33
Olivia Wunsch (Carlile, NSW) 52.73
Time: 4:00.86
SILVER (7)
Flynn Southam (Bond, QLD)
50m freestyle 22.43
Milla Jansen (Bond, QLD)
Women’s 100m freestyle 54.08
Bella Grant (Trinity Grammar, NSW)
Women’s 200m butterfly: 2:08.97
Iona Anderson (Breakers, WA)
Women’s 100m backstroke: 59.88
Mixed 4x100m medley relay
Jaclyn Barclay (St Peters Western, QLD) 59.81
Gideon Burnes (Bond, QLD)1:01.44
Isabella Boyd (Nunawading, VIC) 59.23
Ed Sommerville (Brisbane Grammar) 48.70
Women’s 4x200m freestyle relay
Jamie Perkins (St Peters Western, QLD) 1:57.85
Hannah Casey (Marist College Ashgrove) 1:58.93
Jamie de Lutiis (Wests Illawarra, NSW) 1:58.27
Amelia Weber (St Peters Western, QLD) 1:57.63
Time: 7:52.68
Men’s 4x 100m freestyle relay
Ed Sommerville (Brisbane Grammar, QLD) 49.24;
Marcus da Silva (Cranbrook, NSW) 49.53;
Anders McAlpine (Chandler, QLD) 49.45;
Flynn Southam (Bond, QLD) 48.47
Time: 3:16.69
BRONZE (8)
Ed Sommerville (Brisbane Grammar, QLD)
Men’s 100m freestyle 49.16
Hannah Casey (Marist College Ashgrove, QLD)
Women’s 50m freestyle 25.07)
Thomas Pattison (Churchie, QLD)
Men’s 50m butterfly 23.95
Jaclyn Barclay (St Peters Western, QLD)
Women’s 50m backstroke 28.14
Anders McAlpine (Chandler, QLD)
200m freestyle 1:47.94
Bella Grant (Trinity Grammar, NSW)
200m backstroke 2:11.24
Olivia Wunsch (Carlile, NSW)
50m butterfly 26.53
Men’s 4x200m freestyle relay
Anders McAlpine (Chandler, QLD) 1:49.17
Ed Sommerville (Brisbane Grammar, QLD) 1:47.91
Marcus da Silva (Cranbrook, NSW) 1.49.68
Flynn Southam (Bond, QLD) 1:49.26
Time: 7:16.02
Congratulations Junior Dolphins. I particularly liked those 52.61 and 52.73 relay splits from Olivia Wunsch!