There is no stopping Rackley Swim Team’s Sam Short, who raced up the World and Australian rankings with his 7:42.96 personal best to add the 800m freestyle to his wins in the 400m and the 1500m.
Short’s 400m time 3:42.46, the fastest time in the world this year and tonight’s 800 sitting him second – his time just 1.37secs away from the Australian All-Comers record of 7:41.59 set by swimming legend Ian Thorpe in Hobart in 2001.
He now has only the two Olympic champions Grant Hackett (7:38.65 – his world championship winning time in Montreal in 2005 ) and Thorpe (7:39.16 – his pb set in Fukuoka in 2001) and Olympic silver medallist Jack McLoughlin (7:42.51) ahead of him – with tonight’s swim forging him in front of two other Australian Olympic champions Mack Horton and Kieren Perkins and world champion Elijah Winnington, (St Peters Western, QLD) who hung on for second tonight in 7:49.81 with Matthew Galea (SOPAC, NSW) third in 7:58.64.
Sam Short and Elijah Winnington. Photo Courtesy: Derlly Carr (Swimming Australia)
It rockets the boy from Rackleys to 18th All-Time in history for the event added to the Olympic program for Tokyo with Hackett and Thorpe still sitting in fourth and fifth all-time respectively – leaving Short hovering around the very best there has ever been.
Event 45 Men 14 & Over 800 LC Metre Freestyle
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World: W 7:32.12 29/07/2009Lin Zhang, CHN
Commonwealth: C 7:38.65 27/07/2005Grant Hackett, AUS
Australian: R 7:38.65 27/07/2005Grant Hackett, Miami
All Comers: A 7:41.59 26/03/2001Ian Thorpe, SLC Aquadot
TITLEHOLDERS: 7:45.30 20/05/2022Elijah Winnington, STPET
FINA QT: 7:47.46
Meet Qualifying: 8:28.65
Name Age Team Seed Finals
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1 SHORT, SAMUEL 19 RACKL 7:48.65 7:42.96
r:+0.67 26.88 55.60 (28.72)
1:24.41 (28.81) 1:53.42 (29.01)
2:22.53 (29.11) 2:51.79 (29.26)
3:21.21 (29.42) 3:50.45 (29.24)
4:19.72 (29.27) 4:49.26 (29.54)
5:18.57 (29.31) 5:47.93 (29.36)
6:17.05 (29.12) 6:46.25 (29.20)
7:15.26 (29.01) 7:42.96 (27.70)
2 WINNINGTON, ELIJAH 22 STPET 7:45.30 7:49.81
r:+0.67 26.46 55.52 (29.06)
1:24.86 (29.34) 1:54.01 (29.15)
2:23.25 (29.24) 2:52.78 (29.53)
3:22.30 (29.52) 3:51.88 (29.58)
4:21.72 (29.84) 4:51.87 (30.15)
5:21.99 (30.12) 5:52.45 (30.46)
6:22.66 (30.21) 6:52.86 (30.20)
7:22.21 (29.35) 7:49.81 (27.60)
3 GALEA, MATTHEW 21 SOSC 7:58.36 7:58.64
r:+0.72 26.74 56.31 (29.57)
1:26.06 (29.75) 1:56.12 (30.06)
2:26.29 (30.17) 2:56.62 (30.33)
3:27.06 (30.44) 3:57.49 (30.43)
4:27.34 (29.85) 4:57.65 (30.31)
5:28.29 (30.64) 5:59.12 (30.83)
6:29.59 (30.47) 7:00.00 (30.41)
7:29.65 (29.65) 7:58.64 (28.99)
TOMMY GUN: Rackley Swim Team’s Tommy Neill’s slick 200IM. Photo Courtesy: Wade’s Photos.
Meanwhile in other swims tonight:
Tokyo Olympian Tommy Neill also shone in a switch to all the strokes with the man who anchored Australia to its bravest bronze in Tokyo in the 4x200m freestyle, clocking a personal best and a rankings top 10 time of 1:58.99 to win the 200m individual medley. Later backing up to clock 8:04.11 for fourth behind training partner Short in the 800m
Triple Olympian from 2012, 2016 and 2020, Cameron McEvoy (Somerville House, QLD) under coach Tim Lane, showed that there is plenty to give towards a possible fourth Games in Paris with his impressive win in the 50m freestyle.
Tom Nowakowski (L) and Cameron McEvoy. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
The 28-year-old taking the one lap dash in 22.11 from Tom Nowakowski (Somerset, QLD) in 22.17 and rising teenager Flynn Southam (Bond, QLD) backing up after his second place finish to Kai Taylor in the 200m last night, taking third in 22.32.
Mollie O’Callaghan (St Peters Western, QLD) continuing to change things up with another win, this time in the 50m backstroke and in her second personal best of the week, she took out the 50m backstroke in as personal best of 27.42 – with only McKeown and four-time Olympian and former world record holder Emily Seebohm ahead of her.
Ben Armbruster (left) and Matt Temple. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
Matthew Temple’s impressive 100m butterfly win in 51.49 (24.04) for the Marion, SA club, never headed down the final lap to hold off the breakthrough boy from Bond, QLD Ben Armbruster (51.96) and New South Welshman Shaun Champion under coach Amanda Isaac, third in 52.01.
Commonwealth Games multi medal-winning backstroker from the NSW Central Coast, Bradley Woodward (SOPAC, NSW) adding the 100m to his 200m win in 54.66 ahead of Bond-based Russian Mark Nikolaev (54.76) and fastest qualifier Ty Hartwell (Chandler, QLD) 54.83 – in a blanket finish.
And in one of the most inspiring wins of the night, former Australian triathlete Alex Leary (St Hilda’s, QLD) has assured herself a place in the Australian Para Swim team for this year’s World Championships – winning the 100m freestyle in an automatic qualifying timer of 1:01.08.
Alex Leary. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
Leary survived an horrific accident while riding her bike in training two years, coming out of an induced coma to fight her way back to life and to sport as she plots her pathway towards a place on the Paralympic team to Paris in 2024.
The Gold Coaster, in the capable coaching hands of experienced Para coach Jon Bell, will join the likes of two-time Paralympic golden boy and one of the faces of the team, Rowan Crothers S10 (Yeronga Park, QLD), who clocked a second automatic qualifying time to win the men’s 100m freestyle in 52.05.
The bald head of Crothers, who captured the imagination of the Australian public in Tokyo, powered away from another qualifier in Tokyo bronze medallist Tom Gallagher S10 (Somerset, QLD) 52.89 and Jack Ireland S14 (University of Queensland) 52.83.
The Para Dolphins team for this year’s World Championships will be officially announced tomorrow night, following the final night’s competition.
Men
50m freestyle
- Cameron McEvoy (Somerville House, QLD) 22.11
- Tom Nowakowski (Somerset, QLD) 22.17
- Flynn Southam (Bond, QLD) 22.32
800m freestyle
- Sam Short (Rackley Swim Team, QLD) 7:42.96
- Elijah Winnington (St Peters Western, QLD) 7:49.81
- Matthew Galea (SOPAC, NSW) 7:58.64
100m backstroke
- Bradley Woodward (Mingara, NSW) 54.66
- Mark Nikolaev (Russia) 54.76
- Ty Hartwell (Chandler, QLD) 54.83
200m individual medley
- Tommy Neill (Rackley Swim Team, QLD) 1:58.99
- Finlay Knox (Canada) 1:59.19
- William Petric (Nunawading, VIC) 2:00.84
Tommny Neill. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
100m freestyle Multi Class
- Rowan Crothers S10 (Yeronga Park, QLD) 52.05
- Tom Gallagher S10 (Somerset, QLD) 52.89
- Jack Ireland S14 (University of Queensland, QLD) 52.83
Jack Ireland (L) and Rowan Crothers. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
100m butterfly
- Matthew Temple (Marion, SA) 51.49
- Ben Armbruster (Bond, QLD) 51.96
- Shaun Champion (Abbotsleigh, NSW) 52.01
Matt Temple. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
50m backstroke Multi Class
- Timothy Hodge (ACU Blacktown, NSW) 29.26
- Declan Budd (Knox Pymble, NSW) 31.46
- Dylan Logan (Melbourne, VIC) 29.15
Timmy Hodge. Photo Courtesy:Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
Women
400m freestyle
- Ariarne Titmus (St Peters Western, QLD) 4:00.49
- Lani Pallister (Griffith University, QLD) 4:05.86
- Eve Thomas (New Zealand) 4:06.10
Ariarne Titmus. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
50m butterfly
- Brianna Throssell (St Peters Western, QLD) 26.06
- Alexandria Perkins (USC Spartans, QLD) 26.26
- Lily Price (Rackley Swim Team, QLD) 26.46
Brianna Throssell. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
100m freestyle Multi Class
- Alexa Leary S9 (St Hilda’s, QLD) 1:01.08
- Emily Beecroft S9 (USC Spartans, QLD) 1:03.93
- Jasmine Greenwood S10 (Cruiz, ACT) 1:02.47
50m backstroke Multi Class
- Madeleine McTernan S14 (All Saints, QLD) 33.07
- Hannah Price S10 (Campbelltown, NSW) 34.98
- Michelle Fawer S10 (Engadine, NSW) 35.40
50m backstroke
- Mollie O’Callaghan (St Peters Western, QLD) 27.42
- Bronte Job (Rackley Swim Team, QLD) 28.21
- Jaclyn Barclay (St Peters Western, QLD) 28.23
Mollie O’Callaghan. Photo Courtesy:Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
200m breaststroke
- Kaylee McKeown (Griffith University, QLD) 2:24.18
- Abbey Harkin (St Peters Western, QLD) 2:25.72
- Jenna Strauch (Miami, QLD) 2:25.94
Zoe Deacon (L) and Kaylee McKeown. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).