| Emerging young Queensland distance swimmer Sam Short has tonight slashed almost 20 seconds off his 1500m freestyle personal best time to surface from this week’s 2021 Australian Age Swimming Championships on the Gold Coast with a change of plans that could change his life.
The 17-year-old gave the 15 minute barrier a real nudge, stopping the clock at 15 minutes 02.48 seconds – dropping 18.57 seconds off his previous best time of 15:21.05 set in December 2020 at the Queensland State Championships. And under normal circumstances he would have been named on the Australian Junior Swim Team to contest the Fina World Junior Championships in China later this year but normalcy has long left the building. Swimming Australia’s decision to withdraw from the World Junior meet means a chance to wear the green cap will have to wait. But one door closes and another one opens for the boy from the Rackley Swim Team in Brisbane. Instead of preparing for his first World Championships he will now turn his attentions to July’s Olympic Swimming Trials in Adelaide with his coach at Rackley’s Centenary, Damien Jones saying to his young charge “we’ve got nothing to lose kid….let’s have a crack.” And judging by the way Sam Short attacks his races he’ll give the Trials a crack alright. Short was on track to become only the 10th Australian to break 15 minutes for 1500m until he dropped off his even splitting ever so slightly, three quarters of the way through the race, adding up to a two second difference, despite his final 100m split of 59.14. You get the impression that young Sam, joining his Rackley club mate Thomas Neil on the 1500m trail after he clocked 14:59.19 to finish second in the Fina World Junior Championships, in Budapest in 2019.  MAKING A SPLASH: Sam Short finished the National Age with four gold medals in the 200, 400, 800 and 1500m freestyle. Photo Courtesy:Delly Carr (Swimming Australia). And young Sam will have a extra spring in his steps when he gets off the plane in Townsville next week. Coach Jones now has a serious two-pronged attack with 18-year-old Neill and 17-year-old Short when he settles into his squad’s Olympic Trials preparation. Jones will take his Trials team to Townsville next week at the conclusion of the Australian Open Championships which begin on the Gold Coast on Wednesday evening with the first of four evening heats sessions. Short added the 1500m title to his wins in the 200m freestyle (1:47.69); 400m freestyle (3:47.52) and the 800m freestyle (7:52.18) when he broke Kieren Perkins 30 tear old Australian 17 Years All-Comers record. And there has been a steady road to improvement for Short. At the last Australian Age Championships in April of 2019 Short arrived with a time of 15:44.00 and left with a 15.33.70. Then at the Queensland State Open Championships in December 2020, Short took his 15:33.70 into the Sleeman Aquatic Centre and again made a drop of 12 seconds to touch he wall in 15:21.05 – the time he took into these 2021 Age titles. In July in Adelaide Sam Short will take his 15:02.48 into his first Olympic Trials knowing full well the Olympic Qualifying time for Tokyo is 14:55.06 and a realistic goal to aim for. The intensive 10-day training camp that is treading the same road trodden over 60 years ago as Murray Rose, John Konrads and Bob Windle all headed north to Townsville with the Olympic swim teams of 1956, 1960 and 1964 – all returning home with Olympic gold medals. And tonight’s 1500m victory was a fitting finale to a Age Group career for Sam Short which Olympian Meagen Nay described in commentary on Amazon Prime as Sam Short’s “coming of age…..” Here are Sam Short’s splits: 55.84; 1:55.82 (59.58); 2:55.40 (59.98); 3:55.41 (1:00.30); 4:55.43 (1:00.30); 5:55.87 (1:00.16); 6:56.26 (1:00.39); 7:56.83 (1:00.57); 8:57.52 (1:00.69); 9:58.52 (1:01.00); 10.59.48 (1:00.96); 12:00.51 (1:01.03); 13:01.78 (1:01.27); 14:03.34 (1:01.56); 15:02.48 (59.14).
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