Olympic Champions Kaylee McKeown, Zac Stubblety-Cook Gaining Momentum Ahead of Aussie Trials
Tokyo Olympic gold medallists Kaylee McKeown and Zac Stubblety-Cook wound up their racing preparations for next month’s Australian Swimming Championships in Adelaide, Saturday night, while rising star Lani Pallister tasted success in the pool and in the waves on the Gold Coast.
BACK IN BUSINESS: Kayler McKeown after a 58.66 win in the 100m backstroke. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photography
Australia’s World Championship and Commonwealth Games hopefuls were on show over three days at Miami Aquatic Centre – going through their paces at the Swimming Australia High Performance Invitation Meet.
McKeown (Griffith University) started her meet with a comfortable win in the 400IM on the opening night, before adding the 100m backstroke with an impressive 58.66, swimming away from Minna Atherton (Bond University) 1:01.52 and Tahlia Thornton (USC Spartans) 1:01.96 .
And Stubblety-Cook looked as strong as ever as he powered his way to last night’s win in the 200m breaststroke in 2:08.22 after his win the previous night in the 100m breaststroke in 1:00.31 ahead of Sam Williamson (Melbourne Vicentre) 1:00.57 and Joshua Yong (USC Spartans) 1:00.86.
FIELD OF HIS OWN: Zac Stubblety-Cook’s winning style. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photography.
While women’s 800m winner, Griffith’s Lani Pallister (Griffith University) added the 400m in 4:06.20 and also finished third in the 200m to Throssell (1:57.59) and Leah Neale 1:58.02 with Meg Harris (Marion ) 1:59.08, showing no ill-affects from the broken hand she suffered late last year.
But Pallister’s busy weekend was far from over when she arrived at the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships at near-by North Kirra Beach, Sunday. The triple World Junior champion put on a swimming and body-surfing master class to set up an Open Taplin Relay victory (with Lana Rogers and Lucinda Kelly, for her club Alexandra Headlands.)
Other strong showings in the pool Saturday came from dual Olympian Brianna Throssell (USC Spartans) who swam away with the win the 100m butterfly in 58.81 from club mate Alex Perkins 59.23 with Rackley’s Lily Price 59.93 third.
WINNING WEEKEND: Lani Pallister spun and swum her way to two wins in the pool at Miami before riding a wave to Taplin Relay gold at the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships. Photo Courtesy:
The men’s 200m went to Harris’ Marion team mate Zac Incerti (1:48.18) from 400 and 800m (7:58.00) winner Sam Short (Rackleys) 1:49.61 –
Tokyo Olympian Jenna Strauch (Miami) 2:25.64 looked as strong and as aggressive as ever to post an impressive win over Rio Olympian Taylor McKeown (Griffith University) 2:27.99 with Reidel Smith (Miami) 2:31.19 third.
In the absence of leading Olympic backstrokers Mitch Larkin and Tristian Hollard – Sydney’s Commonwealth Games medallist Bradley Woodward (Mingara Aquatic, NSW) 1:58.24, completed the 100/200m double ahead of Joshua Edwards-Smith (Griffith University) 1:59.19 and Ty Hartwell (Chandler) 2:00.59.
IM HASPPY: All Saints Thomas Hauck all smiles after his 400IM win. Photo Courtesy:Wade Brennan Photography.
In the 50m freestyle finals it was Meg Harris (Marion, SA) in 25.41 from Mia O’Leary (Bond) 25.58 and Throssell 25.81, while former WA boy Ashton Brinkworth (USC Spartans) 22.72 from Isaac Cooper (Rackleys) 22.91 and 100m winner William Yang 22.95.
The men’s 200IM went to Tokyo 400Im bronze medallist Brendon Smith (Griffith University) 2:02.63 from Bond’s Joshua Collett 2:02.95 and Lucas Humeniuk (Chandler) 2:03.89.
The women’s 200m butterfly it was Elizabeth Dekkers (Newmarket Racers) comfortably in 2:08.09 from Brittany Castelluzzo (Tea Tree Gully, VIC) 2:11.74 and Japan’s two-time Olympian Suzuka Hasegawa (Bond) in 2:11.84
While the men’s 100m butterfly went to Olympic relay bronze medallist Matt Temple (Marion) in 52.00, from Cody Simpson (Griffith University) in a personal best time of 52.66 and Shaun Champion (Abbotsleigh) 53.26.
The women’s 200IM went to Gabriella Peiniger (Southport Olympic) 2:17.07 from Rebecca St Vincent (Griffith University) 2:17.13 and Madeline Snell Brisbane Grammar) 2:18.49. With the men’s 400IM won by Thomas Hauck (All Saints, Gold Coast) 4:23.16 from Marco Soesanto (Melbourne Vicetre) 4:28.76 and Rackley’s Thomas Neil 4.30.78.
NAILKED IT: Bri Throssell off to a flyer at Miami. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photography
FLYBYS: Japan’s two-time Olympian Suzuka Hasegawa in action at Miami Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photography
RFLECTIVE MOMENT: For two-tiume Australian Olympian Tamsin Cook. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photography
MIAMI SLICE: Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photography
IN FLIGHT: Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photography
FRONT AND CENTRE: Lizzy Dekkers led all the way in the 200m fly. Photo Courtesy: Wade Brennan Photography