Just one swimmer topped 1,000 performance points on the last day of Aussie s/c nationals in Brisbane: Leisel Jones, with a 2:18.86 win in the 200m breaststroke. Forget shiny suits and recall that Jones held the world record at 2:17.75 from 2004 until poly put the kettle on.
Trying to keep up with Jones and not doing a bad job of it considering the quality at the helm were Tessa Wallace, 16, on a terrific 2:21.48, having arrived at nationals with a 2:25.48 best, and Rebecca Kemp, 18, on 2:22.45, up from previous season best of 2:24.37. Many swimmers coming through the ranks were spared by circumstance and lack of availability ever having to squeeze into the plastic-not-so-fantastic and are making strides in a world less painful to them right now than it it to others.
Felicity Galvez added another 'fly title to her treasury with a 56.34 victory that matched Jones's 200m breast in terms of world-class quality. The time left her shy of her 55.46 shiny best Commonwealth standard but well up on silver and bronze, respectively to madeline Groves, just 15 and on a swift 58.94, and Sam Hamill, 19, on 59.02.
The male performance of the day went to Chris Wright, 22 and racing for Chandler: on 1:51.74 for the 200m 'fly crown, he fell just 0.63sec shy of 2009 best, the Aussie record, and a further 0.06sec shy of the Commonwealth record held by Commonwealth champion Moss Burmester (NZL). Wright found himself engaged in battle with a 16-year-old on the hunt: Jayden Hadler, the champ's Chandler teammate, has a best of 1:54.32 before nationals. He took that down to 1:53.10 for silver, off a 54.07 half-way split that brought him within 0.01sec of Wright. Two lengths later and Wright had the edge by 0.49 and from there rolled on to victory. The bronze went to Lachlan Staples, 20, in 1:55.14.
Elsewhere, Bronte Barratt took the 200m free in 1:54.83 ahead of Blair Evans and 1:55.06, Kylie Palmer, 1:55.55, the first five home split by 1.3sec. Similar tightness was to be found in the men's 100m free, won convincingly by Matthew Abood in 47.07. Silver to Kyle Richardson, 47.57, bronze to Tommasso D'Orsogna, 47.63, 0.05sec ahead of James Magnussen, who was 0.09sec ahead of Cameron Prosser, in turn 0.2sec ahead of Nick Ffrost, 0.03sec ahead of Eamonn Sullivan, with Ashley Callus bringing the final to a close in 48.79.
Yolane Kukla, 14, claimed the 50m free title in a cracking and dominant 24.14, ahead of Marieke Guehrer, 24 and on 24.67, with bronze going to 16-year-old Emma McKeon, on 24.73. Guehrer had earlier won the 50m back crown in 26.81, just 0.01sec ahead of Emily Seebohm, with bronze for Rachel Goh, on 27.15.
Ashley Delaney kept the pack well at bay in the 200m back, on 1:52.25, to 1:53.97 for Braiden Camm, 19, and Mitch Larkin, 17, on 1:54.63; the 100m medley for men went to Kenneth To, in 52.39, D'Orsogna second in 53.06, John Goo third in 54.54; Brenton Rickard finally got one over Christian Sprenger on breaststroke, winning the 50m 27.26 to 27.40, bronze going to Brad Morrison in 27.76.
The solo events came to a close with victory for Robert Hurley in the 1,500m free, on a solid 14:41.80. Thomas Fraser-Holmes took silver in 14:53.81, bronze for 17-year-old Wally Eggleton in 14:58.61.
And the end result of it all - a world s/c champs team from Australia:
Matt Abood (NSW), Daniel Arnamnart (NSW), Mitchell Dixon (NSW), Tommaso D'Orsogna (WA) Blair Evans (WA), Felicity Galvez (NSW), Rachel Goh (VIC), Katie Goldman (QLD), Marieke Guehrer (VIC), Jayden Hadler (QLD), Samantha Hamill (QLD), Geoff Huegill (NSW), Leisel Jones (VIC), Sarah Katsoulis (VIC), James Magnussen (NSW), Emma McKeon (NSW), Patrick Murphy (VIC), Jade Neilsen (QLD), Kotuku Ngawati (VIC), Kylie Palmer (QLD), Leiston Pickett (QLD), Kyle Richardson (QLD), Brenton Rickard (QLD), Emily Seebohm (QLD), Christian Sprenger (QLD), Kelly Stubbins (VIC), Kenneth To (NSW), Benjamin Treffers (ACT), Tessa Wallace (QLD), Chris Wright (QLD).
