UNBELIEVABLE DISCOUNTS AT AMAZON.COM ||
2024 AUSTRALIAN SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS
The penultimate night of racing at the 2024 Australian Short Course Championships saw 23-year-old Kaylee McKeown rip a new national record in the women’s 50m back.
McKeown, the 100m/200m back reigning Olympic gold medalist, fired off a lifetime best of 25.40 to clear the field and claim her 2nd title at this competition.
Teammate Lani Pallister was also in the pool tonight, racing in the final of the women’s 400m free.
22-year-old Pallister, trained by her mother Janelle Pallister, put up a powerful performance of 3:56.27 to handily defeat the field in the sole outing under 4:00.
Pallister’s result checks in as the #2 performance of her career and just the 2nd time she’s been under the 4:00 threshold. Her personal best remains at the 3;55.04 she posted for gold at the 2022 Short Course World Championships.
Behind Pallister tonight was 29-year-old veteran Leah Neale of Rackley. Neale scored a solid result of 4:00.63 to join Pallister in earning provisional qualification for December’s Short Course World Championships.
Neale’s silver medal-worthy performance represents the 2nd-best time of her career. Her personal best of 3:58.80 was put on the books at the 2020 Virtual Queensland Championships.
25-year-old David Schlicht doubled up on his 400m IM victory by winning the men’s 200m IM race this evening.
Schlicht stopped the clock at 1:54.11 to hold about a half-second advantage over Joshua Collett of Bond who settled for silver in 1:54.66. Gabriel Gorgas rounded out the podium in 1:55.79.
Schlicht and Collett both dipped under the Swimming Australia-mandated qualification time of 1:55.25 needed to provisionally qualify for Budapest.
Tara Kinder continued her successful meet, wrangling up her 3rd individual gold of these championships.
21-year-old Kinder of Melbourne Vicentre already won the women’s 100m breast and 400m IM but now collected gold in the 200m IM.
Kinder put up a time of 2:06.87 to beat the field by over 2 seconds. Next to the wall was Kayla Hardy in 2:08.99 while Jamie De Lutiis also landed on the podium in 2:09.45 for bronze.
Kinder’s outing obliterated her previous personal best of 2:10.07 logged just last month at the Victorian Open Short Course Championships. Hardy’s time came within striking distance of her PB, a time of 2:08.11 turned in for 12th place at the 2022 Short Course World Championships.
Before the night was over, 24-year-old Alexandria Perkins made her presence known in a big way in the women’s 100m butterfly.
The USC Spartan fired off a monster time of 55.45 to grab the gold, holding off a charging Lily Price who finished just .12 behind in 55.57.
Perkins and Price join an elite group of Aussie women who have hit a 55-point time in this event and now sit among the best-ever.
Top 5 Aussie Women’s SCM 100 Butterfly Performers All-Time
- Alicia Coutts – 55.30, 2013
- Emma McKeon – 55.39, 2019
- Felicity Galvez – 55.43, 2010
- Alexandria Perkins – 55.45, 2024
- Lily Price – 55.57, 2024
The men’s 100m fly saw the top 5 finishers all break the 51-second barrier with Olympian Matt Temple leading the charge.
25-year-old Temple touched in 50.04 to add the event to a possible Budapest lineup and runner-up Jesse Coleman also made the grade in 50.20.