Emily Seebohm cracked the Australian record over 200m medley with a 2:07.64 at Aussie s/c nationals in Brisbane today - and needed to to just that to win as someone else raced inside record pace alongside her. The silver, in 2:07.76 (no not Steph Rice) went to 16-year-old Melbourne-based Kotuku Ngawati.
The challenger to Seebohm's supremacy had a best time from earlier this month of 2:10.16. Now she's among those setting the 2010-11 short-course season pace. The Aussie record had stood to Seebohm at 2:08.09 since last August. The bronze in Brisabne went to Tiffany Papemanouil in 2:10.40.
"I was a bit surprised when I saw the time, but when I saw the girl (Ngawati) out in lane 7, I was like ‘no I can’t let you win’ so I had to dig in deep and win that one,” said Seebohm told reporters Down Under. "My heart rate was really high tonight and when I turned at the breaststroke, and saw I was behind, I just put my head down and smashed the freestyle as hard as I could."
Coached by Ian Pope, Ngawati has just returned from New Zealand, where she won eight gold medals for Australia on the Trans Tasman series. Her latest effort should earn her a first senior Dolphins berth at the FINA World s/c Champs in Dubai in December.
"At our state short course meet a month ago I went a 2:17, and then at Trans Tasman last week I got the meet record and went a two ten and to go 2:07 tonight and go under the old Australian record is just really, really amazing,” said Ngawati through her federation's press office. "To do something like a 9sec pb in a month is just an amazing achievement for me."
The world 100m breaststroke record has stood at a shiny 1:02.70 to Rebecca Soni (USA) since last December, while Jones holds the Commonwealth standard at 1:03.00, also in a shiny suit since late 2009. Today, the Olympic 100m champion slogged out a 1:03.63 effort, off a 30.42sec split. The silver went to Sara Katsoulis, on 1:06.14, the bronze to Leiston Pickett, on 1:06.59.Commonwealth records were not under threat at the meet in Brisbane and world records were very far away indeed but Geoff Huegill and Leisel Jones put in outstanding efforts.
No chance of getting close to that shiny world 50m 'fly record of 21.80 owned by Steffen Diebler (GER) since November, nor indeed the 21.87 Commonwealth record of Roland Schoeman (RSA) from 2009, but Huegill is a short-course champ once more, his 22.95 dominating the final. The silver went to Christopher Wright in 23.39, the bronze to Adam Pine in 23.45.
The splits tell the tale of a race led by Seebohm in the first half, before Ngawati stormed past on breaststroke:
- Seebohm: 12.49; 27.76 (15.27); 44.39 (16.63); 59.84 (15.45); 1:18.98 (19.14); 1:38.44 (19.46); 1:53.83 (15.39); 2:07.64 (13.81).
- Ngawati: 13.10; 28.56 (15.46); 45.33 (16.77); 1:01.00 (15.67); 1:19.66 (18.66); 1:37.97 (18.31); 1:53.46 (15.49); 2:07.76 (14.30).
The 50m back crown for men went to Ben Treffers in 23.81, 0.36sec ahead of Ashley Delaney, on 24.17, with Daniel Arnamnart taking bronze in 24.24.
