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Sprenger Makes It A High Five

Dec 17, 2012

After breaking the minute mark for the first time in a textile suit at this year’s EnergyAustralia Swimming Championships in March, Olympic silver medallist Christian Sprenger swam inside the magic mark for a fifth time in 2012 at Queensland Championships in Brisbane.

Victory for the 26-year-old from Indooroopilly also delivered a Queensland All Comers record of 59.80. A sub-minute at trials to make the Games were followed up with three sub-minute efforts at the Olympics on his way to the podium behind champion  Cameron Van der Burgh (RSA). Sprenger will next appear at the BHP Billiton Aquatic Super Series in Perth a month from now.

Fellow Olympic silver medallist Emily Seebohm added the 100m backstroke to her butterfly title won on Sunday night, a 59.83 keeping the her ahead of Meagen Nay (1:01.37) and Madison Wilson (1:02.38).

Having won the 200m free on Sunday, Brittany Elmslie, 18, claimed the 100m title in 54.58, just 0.08 ahead of fellow member of the golden 4x100m freestyle team at London 2012, Cate Campbell, on 54.66, with out-state visitor Emma McKeon, of NSW, third in 54.84 and Seebohm on 55.23 for fourth. Placing the meet in context, Elmsie tweeted after heats today that she had "found some speed" without a taper, most racing through in readiness for bigger moments.

Case in point, teenager Cameron McEvoy on 49.57 - after a 49.46 heats efforts -  in the 100m free ahead of Kurt Herzog (50.38) and Luke Kerswell (50.47).

In the 100m breaststroke, Lorna Tonks clocked a personal best of 1:07.95 for a dominant victory, Georgia Bohl next home in 1:09.59. One of the newcomers on the Olympic team this year, Mitchell Larkin clocked 56.09 to win the 100m butterfly ahead of visiting Chinese swimmer Diao Jigong (56.86) and Andrew Gillespie (56.90).

The 400m free finals saw Katie Goldman keep the St Peters Western heat up on the rest with a 4:10.34 win over new training partner Bronte Barratt (4:10.76), open water ace Melissa Gorman on 4:14.44; and among men Olympic Games newcomer David McKeon produced a solid 3:50.12 a confident margin ahead of Ryan Napoleon (3:55.63) and Ned McKendry (3:59.99).