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Dashing Sprint Prince Chalmers On 23.17

Apr 11, 2013  - Craig Lord

Kyle Chalmers, the 14-year-old who caused a storm yesterday with a 50.86sec victory in the 100m freestyle at Australian age-groups in Adelaide, followed up today with a 23.17 age-group record in the 50 metres freestyle final.

The time, which left him a second ahead of joint silver for Caiden Gill and Benno Negri, on 24.11, makes him the swiftest 14-year-old in history. Take a look at the axe Chalmers is taking to the limits of his age peers: the Aussie age standard had stood at 23.46 23.46 to Te Haumi Maxwell since 2009, while 24.24 took the crown for Vincent Dai last year.

And take the following comparisons from history:

  • 24:00: best of Alex Popov at 18
  • 23.28: best of Anthony Ervin at 17
  • 23.40: best of Gary Hall Jr at 18
  • 22.65: best of Matt Biondi at 20 in the season after he first cracked 23
  • 24.48: the best time of Mark Foster when he was 15, then considered to be a world youth standard setter, 1985
  • 23.70: the best of Pieter Van Den Hoogenband at 16
  • 23.61: best of Cesar Cielo at 16
  • 22.69: best of Florent Manaudou in his 20th year, the season in which he first cracked 23

Manaudou claimed the Olympic crown in London just two years later, on 21.34.

In other action, Yolane Kukla, 17, took the 100m 'fly in 59.16, ahead of Chris Licciardi, also 17, on 59.39, the bronze to Samantha Abbott in 1:01.26. The boy's equivalent  saw Alex Graham take gold in a swift 53.52 ahead of Mitchell Pratt, 54.21, and Nick Robertson, on 54.65.

In the 14 years girl’s event, 100m freestyle champion Shayna Jack clocked a strong 25.41 for a dominant victory ahead of Ella Cossill, 26.40 and Ella Bond, third in 26.56.