World Championships, Doha: Aussie Breaststroker Sam Williamson Makes A Splash After Taking The Plunge Into Enemy Territory
Australia’s latest swimming world champion Sam Williamson has answered a vital call that could well “parlay” the Dolphins relay gold medal hopes for Paris.
Williamson’s 50m breaststroke win came as a result of some urgent and strategic planning after Australia’s dominant gold medal haul at last year’s World Championship successes in Fukuoka.
The Aussies topped the gold medal haul in 2023 with 13 – six of them in freestyle events; the backstroke treble to Kaylee McKeown and four relays.
WELL ARMED: Sam Williamson muscles his way to world title. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (swimming Australia)
But apart from Tokyo Olympic champion and 2022 World champion in the 200m breaststroke to Zac Stubblety-Cook, Australia’s men’s form stroke gold medals have been few and far between.
Enter the astute planning of two-time Olympic head coach Leigh Nugent who took a squad of National breaststrokers into Japan– the home of breaststroke swimming – late last year – to try and fill those valuable holes – especially for the men’s and mixed medley relays.
A world class 100m breaststroker in those relays could well spell the difference between gold, silver and bronze. SEE RELAY FOOTNOTE BELOW.
The aim of the camp: “To lift Australia’s standards in breaststroke swimming and to prepare swimmers to perform under pressure, further bolstering the depth of the National team.”
“We set up that combined initiative with the Japanese to train together and work together with their coaches – a collaboration between us (Swimming Australia) and the Japanese coaches,” said Nugent, who has vast experience in developing successful breaststrokers and staging successful camps programs.
“There were training sessions and coaching discussions, with five Japanese coaches working alongside our six Australian coaches with invaluable conversations around the non-negotiables of swimming breaststroke and (highlighting) underwater skills – it was very good.
“It’s fantastic when you get a group of breaststrokers together as we so often have large groups of freestylers in Australia working together but breaststrokers so often train in isolation in their programs.”
It didn’t take long for 26-year-old Williamson to roll his sleeves up at the conclusion of the camp alongside the best Japanese coaches – muscling in on the action and setting a new 50m breaststroke National record of 26.51 in Tokyo.
Two years earlier Williamson (Melbourne Vicentre VIC; Coach Craig Jackson) had sat in his loungeroom watching the 2022 World Championships in Budapest thinking “that could be me one day.”
Two years later and Williamson’s day came on night four in Doha when he stood on the top of the podium – it was him with that gold medal around his neck – after narrowly missing bronze in the 100m – again stringing together the magic formula – improvements from heat to semi and the final.
ONE FOR THE TROPHY CABINET: Sam Williamson proudly shows off his Doha gold. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
Again, the big Victorian lowering his own National and Oceania record to 26.41 in the semi-final and timing his finish to perfection to take the gold in a further record drop, clocking the fourth fastest time in history of 26.32.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet…” Williamson said later in the night.
“Someone else actually said it before, and I had to pause and ask them … ‘am I really world champion? What does it mean?’
“It’s an incredible experience. I just wish everyone back home was here to celebrate it. Two years ago, I was sitting at home watching the swimming and just thought you know what that could be me one day.
“So I just put my head down and worked (hard) to get here. (I know) this isn’t an Olympic event; I have to do two laps and my next goal is to get back in the pool and train and give myself the best chance of Paris.”
In 2022, with Williamson glued to that TV in Melbourne, the 50m breaststroke final saw the USA’s Nic Fink take out gold from Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi with another American Michael Andrew third.
Then 12 months later it was China’s Qin Haijang on top from Fink, with Williamson (in his first World’s final) fourth with Martinenghi fifth.
Last night it was Williamson, swimming from lane four who built the perfect race with those same names Martinenghi, Fink behind him – ass was the returning three-time 50m world champion (2015, 2017, 2019), Britain’s two-time Olympic champion and world record holder Adam Peaty.
Sam Williamson too has arrived…Paris awaits.
RELAY FOOTNOTE: There was also some proof in the pudding in last night’s Mixed Medley Relay final with Fink – who won the 100m breaststroke final earlier in the week splitting a sizzling 58.27 in the USA’s all-conquering gold medal team with Williamson clocking 59.34 as part of the Dolphins silver medal team and two-time Olympic champion Adam Peaty’s 59.46 in the British bronze medal team.
WORLD’S TOP TEN FASTEST ALL TIME –MEN’S 50M BREASTSTROKE
- 25.95 Adam Peaty (GBR)
- 26.30 Qin Haiyang (CHN)
- 26.28 Ilya Shymanovich (BLR)
- 26.32 Sam Williamson (AUS)
- 26.33 Felipe Lima (BRA)
- 26.33 Nicolo Martinenghi (ITA)
- 26.42 Joao Gomes Junior (BRA)
- 26.45 Nic Fink (USA)
- 26.52 Michael Andrew (USA)
- 26.54 Cameron van de Burgh (RSA).
Silver lining for Australia’s 4x100m Mixed Medley Relay (L-R) Bradley Woodward, Sam Williamson, Brianna Throssell and Shayna Jack. Photos Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
