SYDNEY OPEN: Exciting Aussie Teenager William Petric Rockets Into IM Contention For Paris

IM FLYER: Nunawading's William Petric flying towards the Australian Olympic Trials. Photo Courtesy Swimming Victoria.
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SYDNEY OPEN: Exciting Aussie Teenager William Petric Rockets Into IM Contention For Paris

Exciting Victorian teenager William Petric has tonight rocketed into contention for this year’s Australian Olympic Team, producing a world class 400IM time of 4:12.21 on the final night of the 2024 Sydney Open UniSport Nationals meet.

The 19-year-old from Nunawading’s time would have won bronze behind New Zealand’s 2024 Doha World champion, Lewis Clareburt who won tonight’s final ahead of Petric at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre – the flying Kiwi clocking the fastest time in the world this year of 4:08.71.

Petric’s time ranks him 11th on the 2024 World Rankings and was faster than Doha bronze medallist, Japan’s four-time world champion Daiya Seto’s Doha time of 4:12.51.

Seto was third in tonight’s final in in 4:17.36.

LEWIS CLAREBURT SPLITS: 57.09; 2:01.08 (1:03.99); 3:11.59 (1:10.51) 4:08.71 (57.12)

WILL PETRIC SPLITS: 57.54; 2:03.47 (1:05.93); 3:13.80 (1:10.33) 4:12.21 (58.41)

ABOUT WILLIAM PETRIC

William Petric

Clareburt set a cracking pace, clocking his second fastest time ever just 0.01 outside his best time of 4:08.70, swum when he won the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

The trio have been battling it out all summer in Australia – including a seres of thrilling races at the Australian Open Championships on the Gold Coast last month which  have continued in Sydney over the past three days.

Both Clareburt and Seto have already swum their respective Olympic Trials with both swimmers, Clareburt, 24 and Seto 29 punching their tickets for Paris – Clareburt’s winning time of 4:09.72 in Doha sealing his selection.

They have also played a crucial role in pushing the Australian teenager as he prepares for next month’s Australian Trials in Brisbane from June 10-15 under experienced international coach Jol Finck at Victoria’s premier club, Nunawading.

Not only was Petric’s 4:12.20 a personal best -it catapulted him to the third Australian of all time behind fellow Nunawading product Brendon Smith (4:09.27) who is the Tokyo bronze medallist in the 400IM and two-time Olympian Thomas Fraser-Holmes (4:10.14).

Smith is now with Michael Bohl’s Griffith University group on the Gold Coast where Fraser-Holmes is also coaching in Bohl’s Griffith program.

On the opening night of the Sydney Open, Petric had swum a personal best of 1:58.05 in the 200IM after last month’s PB of 1:58.43 to win the Australian title -ranking him seventh on th Australian All-Time list.

Petric beat Clareburt and Australian Tokyo Olympians Se Bom Le (SOPAC, NSW) and Smith – who along with another Tokyo teen, Thomas Neill (Rackley, QLD) will provide some stiff opposition for the top two places on the plane to Paris.

Meanwhile Tokyo Olympic champion in the 200m breaststroke, Zac Stubblety-Cook (swimming for Griffith University, QLD at the UniSport Nationals) has again produced an impressive performance in Sydney, winning his pet event in 2:07.89 from Chandler training partner Bailey Lello 2:11.27 with Joshua Collett (Bond, QLD) 2:12.34 third.

Stubblety-Cook saying he was personally happy with the time.

“You can never complain with a 2:07, although I would have liked to have gone a little bit faster but that always keeps you itchy,” said Stubblety-Cook.

“It was a good swim and I put it together better than Nationals, although it was a bit slower we were not as fresh as we were for Nationals but mentally it’s always a sticky period before Trials.”

Stubblety-Cook will spend the next two weeks on the Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane, based out of the University of Sunshine Coast pool (home of the USC Spartans) before returning to Brisbane for the 10-day taper period with the Trials meet at his home pool, the Brisbane Aquatic Centre.

2024 Sydney Open UniSport Nationals, Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre, FINALS:

WOMEN

100m freestyle

  1. Olivia Wunsch (Carlile, NSW) 53.93
  2. Milla Jansen (Bond, QLD) 4.35
  3. Brittany Castelluzzo (Tea Tree Gully, SA) 55.28

100m freestyle Multi-Class

  1. Alexa Leary (St Hilda’s, QLD) 59.37
  2. Emily Beecroft (Sunshine Coast University, QLD) 1:04.10
  3. Chloe Osborn (Australian Catholic University, Blacktown, NSW) 1:13.50

800m freestyle

  1. Jacinta Essam (Macquarie University, NSW) 8:48.88
  2. Tayla Martin (Carlile, NSW) 8:55.78
  3. Emily White (University of SA) 8:59.02

200m backstroke

  1. Emily Seebohm (St Margaret’s, QLD) 2:11.42
  2. Minna Atherton (Bond, QLD) 2:11.74
  3. Alice Campbell (QLD Uni of Technology) 2:17.52

100m backstroke Multi-Class

  1. Katja Dedekind (Yeronga Park, QLD) 1:09.19
  2. Madeleine McTernan (Sharks Aquatic, QLD) 1:12.30
  3. Jenna Jones (USC Spartans, QLD) 1:15.10

100m butterfly

  1. Rikako Ikee (JPN) 57.63
  2. Lizzie Dekkers (Chandler, QLD) 58.26
  3. Bella Grant (Australian Catholic University, NSW) 58.46

50m breaststroke

  1. Tilly King (Bond, QLD) 31.94
  2. Mia O’Leary (Bond, QLD) 32.00
  3. Sophie Martin (Somerville House, QLD) 32.10

200m IM Multi-Class

  1. Stephanie Bruzzese (PLC Sydney, NSW) 2:36.68
  2. Taylor Corry (Knox Pymble, NSW) 2:39.20
  3. Hannah Price (Campbelltown, NSW) 2:47.08

MEN

200m freestyle

  1. Flynn Southam (Bond, QLD) 1:48.57
  2. Harrison Turner (Nudgee, QLD) 1:49.25
  3. Wesley Roberts (SOPAC, NSW) 1:49.26

100m freestyle Multi-Class

  1. Tom Gallagher (Somerset, QLD) 52.36
  2. Rowan Crothers (Yeronga Park, QLD) 53.29
  3. Alex Tuckfield (Southern Sydney Swim Team, NSW) 55.07

1500m freestyle

  1. Matthew Galea (SOPAC, NSW) 15:32.80
  2. Benjamin Wainman (SOPAC, NSW) 16:12.00
  3. Ruben Langley (Carlile, NSW) 16:20.98

100m backstroke

  1. Kane Follows (NZL) 54.52
  2. Mark Nikolaev (Somerset, QLD/Visitor) 54.59
  3. Mitch Larkin (Chandler, QLD) 55.01

100m backstroke Multi-Class

  1. Timothy Hodge (University of Western Sydney, NSW) 1:03.90
  2. Declan Budd (Knox Pymble, NSW) 1:04.50
  3. Daniel Rigby (Knox Pymble, NSW) 1:14.23

200m breaststroke

  1. Zac Stubblety-Cook (Griffith University, QLD) 2:07.89
  2. Bailey Lello (Chandler, QLD) 2:11.27
  3. Joshua Collett (Bond, QLD) 2:12.34

50m butterfly

  1. Cameron McEvoy (Somerville House, QLD) 23.80
  2. Shaun Champion (University of Technology, Sydney, NSW) 23.85
  3. Ben Armbruster (Bond, QLD) 23.93

200m IM Multi-Class

  1. Liam Schluter (USC Spartans, QLD) 2:12.69
  2. Ricky Betar (USC Spartans, QLD) 2:18.10
  3. Daniel Rigby (Knox Pymble, NSW) 2:44.82

400IM

  1. Lewis Clareburt (NZL) 4:08.71
  2. Will Petric (Nunawading, VIC) 4:12.21
  3. Daiya Seto (JPN) 4:17.36

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John
John
23 days ago

It’s thrilling to see William Petric, a young Australian swimmer, making waves in the swimming world with his recent performance at the Sydney Open. His time not only shows his potential but also positions him as a strong contender for the Australian Olympic Team. It’s impressive how he held his own against seasoned athletes like vbet giriş Lewis Clareburt and Daiya Seto. Petric’s dedication and skill are clear, and it will be exciting to see how he fares in the upcoming trials. This kind of young talent brings a fresh excitement to the sport!

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Kanga1
Kanga1
23 days ago

Great to see a young Aussie male IM’er! Hopefully he can continue to improve, make the Olympic team and break 2:10 soon!
Also happy to see the young woman Wunch break 54sec in the 100mfree. A potential Olympic relay birth,at least in the Heats?

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