Sydney Sprints: Carlile’s Madeleine Gough Going The Distance To Paris In A Famous Cap
Tokyo Olympic finalist Madeleine Gough has confirmed her status as one of Australia’s stand out Paris hopes with her fastest 1500m freestyle in three years on the opening night of the Sydney Sprints 2023 Australian Short Course Championships meet in Sydney.
The 29-year-old, who swims under Chris Nesbit at Carlile Swimming (NSW), clocked her third fastest time ever in a powerhouse solo swim, clocking 15:45.47 (2:05.34; 4:12.51; 8:25.47) to win the 60-lap epic by almost 75m.
TO PARIS IN A FAMOUS CAP: Madeleine Gough will wear the famous Carlile cap on her way to Olympic Trials. Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
It is the start of what will be a busy next three days for Gough, who will contest the 400 and the 800m freestyles and a busy next 12 months as she sets her sights on the 2024 Trials in a second Olympic campaign – but her first in the famous Carlile cap.
Gough’s personal short course best of 15:31.19, swum in 2020, ranks her the eighth fastest 1500m women’s short course swimmer in history with tonight’s swim her third fastest time ever and just outside the fastest 25 times of all time.
The former Coffs Harbour girl, who forged her career under Nesbitt on the Gold Coast, followed her coach to Sydney after Tokyo as the once Australian swimming powerhouse club sought to re-build its formidable reputation as a giant of the sport.
And under Nesbitt and assistant coach Michaela Pattinson, the club that’s named after its famous founders, the late Forbes Carlile and his wife Ursula is starting to bear the fruits of a rebuild dubbed Project ’32.
It’s a program aimed at achieving a greater representation on Australia’s Olympic teams by the time Brisbane 2032 rolls around.
Along with Gough and 2020 Tokyo Olympic medley swimmer Se-Bom Lee, the club has also unearthed its latest rising star in 16-year-old Olivia Wunsch (under Pattinson), who emerged as one of the swimmers of the meet at the World Juniors in Netanya Israel last week.
Wunsch finished with five gold medals – including the 50 and 100m freestyle and three of Australia’s gold medal winning relays – the Mixed 4x100m freestyle in world junior record time with a girl who learnt to swim at the heritage, Carlile Cross St indoor learn-to-swim pool.
When Nesbit took over the role as head coach in 2021, he said he was excited to “rebuild the competitive organisation at Regional, National and International levels and re-establish Carlile as a force in competitive swimming.”
The club knows that for Project ‘32 to succeed, Carlile Swimming will be inspiring the next generation of champions.
With Gough, Se-Bom Lee and Wunsch the project is well under way.
World Record To Para Star Jack Ireland in 200m freestyle
Meanwhile, Queensland’s Jack Ireland (University of QLD) is setting his own path to Paris after smashing the S14 world record for the second time in a month to win the multi-class 200m freestyle in 1:51.55 – bettering his old mark by almost a second.
JACK’S WR ATTACK: Jack Ireland breaks his own WR. Photo Courtesy: Swimming Australia
Under coach David Heyden, Ireland, powered off the walls through the eight 25m laps to beat Tokyo Paralympic bronze medallist Alex Tuckfield S9 (Southern Sydney, NSW) 1.53.61 and 16-year-old S8 rising star Callum Simpson (Flinders Phoenix, QLD) 2:08.98 – who had earlier won the 400m freestyle.
And in other events SOPAC’s Haig Buckingham (SOPAC, NSW) and Nash Wilkes (Southport, QLD) charged into the Australian All-Time Top Ten when they went 1-2 in the men’s open 100m breaststroke final with impressive personal best times.
Buckingham stopping clock in 57.85 out-touching Wilkes (58.01) with the pair swimming the eighth and ninth fastest times by Australians with Olympic champion Zac Stubblety-Cook dropping out of the top 10.
CAPTAIN BUTTERFLY: David Morgan’s short course to gold in 50 fly. Photo Courtesy: World Aquatics
While dual Olympian David Morgan (Surfers Paradise, QLD), at 29 and with the Rio and Tokyo Olympics on his resume, out-touched fastest qualifier Cody Simpson (Griffith University) to win the men’s 50m butterfly by a touch, Morgan clocking 22.85 to Simpson’s 22.93 with Alex Quach (SOPAC, NSW) 23.38 third.
And Abbey Webb (Cruiz, ACT), who honed her skills in her US university career in the US and trains under Olympic gold medal coach Shannon Rollason, started her meet in fine fashion.
Webb swam her way to a comfortable win in the women’s 200m freestyle in her personal best time of 1:55.43 ahead of 20-year-old Lucy Dring (Sunshine Coast Grammar, NSW) 1:56.90 and 19-year-old Sydney Brown(Wests Illawarra, NSW) 1:57.11.
In other results, Gold Coast Paralympic medallist Madeleine McTernan (S14) chalked up the first double of the meet, winning the Multi Class 400m freestyle in 4:46.14 before backing up to take the 200m in 2:13.27.
2023 Australian Short Course Championships
Day One
Finals
Women
50m butterfly: Ellysia Oldsen (Marion, SA) 26.56, Sydney Brown (Wests Illawarra, NSW) 26.87, Chloe Douglas-Byrne (Cruiz, ACT) 27.13.
100m backstroke: Mackenzie Burns (Sunshine Coast Grammar, QLD) 59.48, Jessica Wilson (Nunawading, VIC) 59.85, Xiandi Chua (Philippines) 1:00.09.
100m breaststroke: Tara Kinder (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) 1:06.78, Kalyce Pressler (Marion, SA) 1:08.53, Sophie Martin (Somerville House, QLD) 1:08.76.
200m freestyle: Abbey Webb (Cruiz, ACT) 1:55.43, Lucy Dring (Sunshine Coast Grammar, QLD) 1:56.90, Sydney Brown (Wests Illawarra, NSW) 1:57.11.
1500m freestyle: Madeleine Gough (Carlile, NSW) 15:45.69, Sienna Deurloo 16:36.24, Mackenzie Hunter (MLC Aquatic, VIC) 16:49.41.
50m butterfly MC: Taylor Corry (Kincumber Pacific Dolphins, NSW) 29.70, Montana Atkinson (Helensvale, QLD) 30.38, Yasmine-Bella Younes (Bankstown Sports, NSW) 31.36.
200m freestyle MC: Madeleine McTernan S14 (Sharks Aquatic, QLD) 2:13.27, Jade Lucy (SLC Aquadot, NSW) 2:16.78, Maddison Hinds S14 (Hornsby, NSW) 2:16.79.
400m freestyle MC: Madeleine McTernan S14 (Sharks Aquatic, QLD) 4:46.16, Jasmin Fullgrabe S9 (Marion, SA) 5.13.83, Ella Jones S8 (Kincumber Pacific Dolphins, NSW) 5:20.22.
Men
50m butterfly David Morgan (Surfers Paradise, QLD) 22.85, Cody Simpson (Griffith University, QLD) 22.93, Shaun Champion (Abbotsleigh, NSW) 23.38.
100m breaststroke: Haig Buckingham (SOPAC, NSW) 57.85, Nash Wilkes (Southport, QLD) 58.01, Yannick Swolsman (Southport, QLD) 59.16.
100m backstroke: Thomas Hauck (All Saints, QLD) 52.70, Kai Van Kool (Griffith University, QLD) 52.70, Hayden Hoang (SOPAC, NSW) 52.90.
200m freestyle: Joel Ivory (Knox Pymble, NSW) 1:45.41, Shaun Champion (1:46.04), Zachary Tabuai (USC Spartans, QLD) 1:46.23.
800m freestyle: Adam Sudlow (North Coast, WA) 7:56.25, Tommy Lane (Cheltenham, VIC) 7:56.42; Marius Boll (Carlile, NSW) 8:02.46.
50m butterfly MC: Declan Budd S14 (Knox Pymble, NSW) 26.90, Jarred Dyer S14 (Dapto, NSW) 27.22, Dylan Logan S15 (Geelong, VIC) 26.10.
200m freestyle MC: Jack Ireland S14 (University of QLD) 1:51.55 WR, Alexander Tuckfield S10 (Southern Sydney, NSW) 1:53.61, Callum Simpson S8 (Flinders Phoenix, QLD) 2:08.98.
400m freestyle MC: Callum Simpson S8 (Flinders Phoenix, QLD) 4:30.07, Joshua Alford S14 (University of QLD) 4:15.77, Harrison Vig S9 (University of QLD) 4:25.16.