Tassie Kid Maximillian Giuliani Out-Touches Kyle Chalmers By 0.01 In 100m Freestyle At South Australian State Titles
It’s not every day a kid gets the chance to line up against an Olympic champion, let alone record a rare victory but Gold Coast-based former Tasmanian teenager Maximillian Giuliani has done just that on the second night of the South Australian State Championships at the SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre.
MEET MAX G: Gold Coast-based Tasmanian Maximillian Giuliani. Photo Courtesy: Hobart Mercury.
The 19-year-old, who is now at the Miami Swimming Club, out-touched Australia’s world sprint king Kyle Chalmers by one-one-hundreth of a second to win the 100m freestyle State title –out-touching his hero with a time of 49.77 to Chalmers 49.78 – 2.70 seconds outside Chalmers personal best.
In fact Giuliani claimed four Olympic scalps – also holding off Chalmers’ Tokyo team mates, bronze medallists Thomas Neill (Rackley Swim Team) 50.10, his own Miami team mate Alex Graham (50.47) who is coming back after 12 months away from the sport and Matt Temple (Marion, SA) 50.58 – who has a pb of 48.07.
It’s a win young Max and his experienced coach Richard Scarce, who coached Cameron McEvoy to his Australian record time of 47.04 in 2016, has every right to savour for a night but rest assured they won’t be getting too carried away with it, but allowing the former Hobart prodigy to continue to carve an exciting future towards an international career – also showcasing Australia’s sprint freestyle depth.
Giuliani was just 0.11 outside his personal best of 49.66, swum at the 2021 Queensland Championships, while Chalmers, the Rio Olympic champion in 2016 and silver medallist in Tokyo has a personal best of 47.08 – swum twice in 2019 and 2021.
In Chalmers defence (as if he needs it) has under gone a non-stop racing program for his club Marion at these Championships, lining up already in the 50 and 100m freestyle heats and finals, also finishing second to Olympic team mate Temple in the 100m butterfly tonight as well as four club relays already – two tonight.
And tomorrow he lines up in the 50m butterfly and the 800m freestyle, which his coach Peter Bishop admitted before the meet he would race only “if his body held up” as he races through a training week as he sets himself for another big year.
After a huge 2022, which saw him win 100m freestyle gold in both the Commonwealth Games and the World Short Course Championships, Chalmers is a huge international drawcard, and especially in his native South Australia, as he targets this year’s Fina World Long Course Championships and next year’s Paris Olympics.
While “Max G” will continue to chip away after a career confidence booster for one of Australia’s boys most likely.
Tonight’s other winners included:
Women’s 200m freestyle: Meg Harris (Marion, SA) 1:59.29 notching her second win after the 100m win last night
Women’s 100m backstroke: Bronte Job (Rackley Swim Team, QLD) 1:01.34, adding to her 50m backstroker win
Men’s 200m backstroke: Bradley Woodward (Mingara, NSW) 1:59.10, who won the 50m backstroke last night
Women’s 100m breaststroke: Jenna Strauch (Miami Swimming Club, QLD) 1:08.75, who tookthe 200m breaststroke on night one
Men’s 50m breaststroke: James McKecknie (Starplex, SA) 28.26, adding to his 100m breaststroke win
Men’s 100m butterfly: Matt Temple (Marion, SA) 53.03, Kyle Chalmers (Marion, SA) 53.90 after Temple won the 200m butterfly on night one
Men’s 200IM: Tomoyuki Matsushita (Japan) 1:59.32 and;
Women’s 50m butterfly: Lily Price (Rackley Swim Team) 26.78