Queensland Champs, Finals, Day 4: Cameron McEvoy Priming His Performance To Defend 50m Freestyle Crown In Doha
World champion Cameron McEvoy is primed to defend his 50m freestyle crown in Doha in February where victory will see the triple Olympian join an elite band of the world’s greatest sprinters.
CAM’S THE MAN: Cam McEvoy’s cool approach. Photo Courtesy Wade Brennan Photography
McEvoy (Somerville House) snuck under 22 seconds in heavy work to claim the Queensland title on night four of the 2023 Hancock Prospecting Championships at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre last night.
Clocking 21.82 after his 21.84 in the morning preliminaries, to take a tight finish ahead of emerging sprinters 22-year-old Tom Nowakowski (USC Spartans) 22.08 and 2023 World Championship finalist 19-year-old Isaac Cooper (St Andrews) 22.18.
A final that also included – can you believe it – 2005 world champion, 43-year-old South African Roland Schoeman, who is in Australia for a month-long training stint with McEvoy’s coach at Somerville House, Tim Lane. Schoeman, who went 21.69 to win the title 18 years ago still pumped out a 22.94 last night.
Victory for McEvoy in Doha will see him join an elite club of swimmers who have defended their titles – from America’s 50m pioneer Tom Jager, who won the first 50m World Championship in Madrid in 1986 and defended in Perth in 1991; to Brazil’s “Man” Cesar Cielo (2009, 2011 and 2013) the only swimmer to win three and who still holds the world record at 20.91 (from 2009) and US superstar Caeleb Dressel (2017 and 2019).
McEvoy, who won his maiden world title in 21.06 in Fukuoka this year, will be named on the Australian Dolphins team on Friday as he prepares to do battle with 2022 World champion, British flyer, Benjamin Proud who rattled Dressel’s short course world record at the European Short Course Championships, in Romania earlier this week, clocking 20.18. Proud was third to McEvoy in 2023.
FANCY FREE: Shayna Jack, footloose and fancy free at the Queensland Championships. Photo Courtesy Wade Brennan Photography
McEvoy said he was inspired last night by the Miami 4x200m freestylers who set a new Australian Club record of 7:09.29 and Shayna Jack’s win in the women’s 50m freestyle.
“Well done to the Miami boys and Max Giuliani’s 1:44.79 lead off was amazing as was Shayna’s 24.09..so inspirational,” said McEvoy.
“We still have plenty to do between now and February but we are tracking along nicely – it should be fun – can’t wait.”
McEvoy will be joined on the team by fellow world champion Elijah Winnington, who took the 400m crown in 2022 and Victorian breaststroker Sam Williamson who recently set a new Australian 50m record and a personal best in the 100m at the Japan Open.
For Shayna Jack (St Peters Western), her swims this week to show so much speed in taking the 50m in 24.09 from Meg Harris (Rackley Swim Team) 24.39, Cate Campbell (Chandler) 24.41 and the heavily raced Mollie O’Callaghan (St Peters Western) 24.99.
Jack had earlier won the 100m in 52.76 from Harris (53.03), Campbell (53.23) and O’Callaghan (53.27) with all four girls very much at different stages of their preparations towards next year’s Olympic Trials in June in Brisbane.
CLASSIC START: Kaylee McKeown in action in Brisbane. Photo: Courtesy Wade Brennan Photography.
Another eye-catching swim came from the unstoppable backstroking world beater Kaylee McKeown (Griffith University) who was most impressive in winning the 200m individual medley in 2:07.54 – after a busy week of IM “cross training” – after nudging the world record in the 50 and 100m backstrokes, her third in the 200m freestyle and second in the 100m breaststroke.
She looks so smooth and precise in her IM approach – that sub 2:07 and eventually 2:06 is not beyond her.
The world record stands at 2:06.12 to Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu from 2015; the Commonwealth record at 2:06.88 to Siobhan Marie-O’Connor at 2:06.88 and the Australian record to 2008 Olympic champion Stephanie Rice at 2:07.03.
McKeown holds the Australian All-Comers record at 2:07.19 from this year’s Trials – a girl who thrives on a challenge and these times for her are definitely reachable. Watch this space.
The men’s IM in Queensland went to Tokyo Olympian Thomas Neill (Rackley Swim Team) in 1:57.41 to cap an equally impressive week of racing under coach Damien Jones.
And coming after his personal best time of 4:13.43 (1.35 quicker than he swam in Fukuoka) in the 400IM to become the fifth fastest Australian of all-time and an impressive 1:45.78 to finish second to Max Giuliani in the 200m freestyle.
In other Queensland events Bradley Woodward (SOPAC, NSW) continued his recent run of successes, adding the 200m backstroke in 1:56.33 to his 100m win and his treble at the Japan Open, with Ty Hartwell (Rackley Swim Team) second home in 1:58.23, and Stuart Swinburn (City Of Sydney, NSW) scraping under the two-minute barrier in 1:59.99 – triple Olympian Mitch Larkin continued his long road back from shoulder surgery last year – fifth in 2:01.70.
Bowen Gough (Griffith University) took out the men’s 200m butterfly in 1:56.74 and World championship silver medallist Elizabeth Dekkers (Chandler) the women’s in 2:06.42 from Commonwealth Games teammates Abbey Connor (USC Spartans) 2:08.56 and Brianna Throssell (2:11.00).