Australian Champs

[Katie]

Well done TARA!!!! Great swim! Nice picture as well!

Some good swims in 400 free by Haylee Reddaway and Linda Mackenzie, both 4.09, Grant Hackett 3.44 in men's 400 free and won by miles! Some great 100m fly and 200 IM swims as well. Matt Welsh DQd on 50 fly for moving at the start AND going more than 15m underwater.

Lorna Tonks swam a good 200 IM heat to finish 7th (2.20.14), but as she didn't swim the semi presumably she's not allowed to? Not being Australian... I don't know! She also swam in the 4 x 100 free with Redcliffe Leagues Lawnton and they finished 3rd. V good!

[glen_75]

Get up to the minute results here

Many eyes will be on that women's 100. The men are a bit of a bore these days. All the drama is with the women. Whodda thunk it?

Why do the Australians always manage to schedule their nationals/trials ahead of the U.S.?

[Steve]

Originally Posted by Katie

Some great 100m fly and 200 IM swims as well. Matt Welsh DQd on 50 fly for moving at the start AND going more than 15m underwater.

It was the biggest flyer I can remember seeing at this level of competition! He must have gained about 2m on the fied at the start and clearly put off his teammate Brett Hawke in the next lane. Still he got his comeuppance and Brett got through to the final, so justice was done!

Originally Posted by Katie

Lorna Tonks swam a good 200 IM heat to finish 7th (2.20.14), but as she didn't swim the semi presumably she's not allowed to? Not being Australian... I don't know! She also swam in the 4 x 100 free with Redcliffe Leagues Lawnton and they finished 3rd. V good!

The whole eligibility thing is something of minefield (as Tara will tell you ). As I understand it, I think it goes something like this:

- As a swimmer affiliated to ASFGB, rather than Australian Swimming, you can compete, but aren't allowed to compete in semis or finals. You basically swim as a guest and I don't think you are allowed to compete in relays.

- If you somehow renounce your claim to be a British swimmer an d hence become affiliated to Australian swimming) you can compete in team races and swim in semis but not finals (which are only open to those eligible for selection to Australian national teams, because they will select more than just the World champs team form this meet, so want to see as many domestic swimmers as possible in finals. I think this is what Tara had to do to be able to swim in the relays for MVC so I can only assume that Lorna had to do something similar. From speaking to Tara on this very issue though, it sounds as though Australian Swimming aren't too clear on the implications of the whole issue anyway, and maybe they let her away with it, as she swam relays for MVC last year without any of this palaver.

[lane4]

Apart from a couple of high flyers at the top, the general standard of depth in Australian swimming is not at all good based on the results of this meet so far. It seems to me like we have better depth here in GB than what is on offer down under. I think that may always have been the case though. Our problem has always been converting depth, and talent, into great senior swimmers. We MAY now be slowly learning how to do it but on the evidence of the Aussie trials to date, I'd say we are a better swimming nation than them if you look at the whole picture.

[Katie]

Dead heat in the 100 fly between Jessicah Schipper and Lisbeth Lenton, 58.18! An amazing 5 girls under the minute... woah!

Lorna Tonks 1.11.9 in the 100 breast, which again would have got her a semi place if she could swim in it! Do we presume she's actually training with Redcliffes?

I thought Leisel Jones might do a better 200 IM final, where she finished 7th in 2.18.08, but then she had done the 100 breast semi already (she's coming 2nd behind Hanson - 1.07.8 and 1.08.1).

Is it just me or does Matt Welsh get disqualified more than your average international swimmer??

[lane4]

Originally Posted by Katie

Is it just me or does Matt Welsh get disqualified more than your average international swimmer??

He went past 15m underwater off the start at the World Short Course Champs too!

[glen_75]

Mills just went 54.49 over 50 Metres Freestyle.

[lozswimmer]

Originally Posted by glen_75

Mills just went 54.49 over 50 Metres Freestyle.

Do you mean 24.49?

[Steve]

Originally Posted by lozswimmer

Do you mean 24.49?

He does indeed mean that - new Commonwealth Record which now ranks her third all time behind Inge de Bruijn and Therese Alshammer

[glen_75]

I was numb from the shock.

[Tara]

Originally Posted by Katie

Well done TARA!!!! Great swim! Nice picture as well!

Thanks Katie! Trials was a really great experience, although I managed to get sick on day 2 and never really picked up again. Of all the times to pick up a bug WHY at the nationals!!!
Great to get a silver medal on day one though. The team got top club as well which was awesome!
The whole meet was great, the Aussie women are swimming so fast, with impressive swims across the board and Aussie records in 3 of the strokes. Alice Mills really impressed me with real great last 15m in both the 50m and 100m free. Hacketts underwater shots on the big screen throughout the whole of the 1500m were really model swimming, he holds the high elbow position so well and has such a great hold of the water throughout the whole stroke.

[Phil Tanner]

I have no idea which one in the photo is Tara, but don't they all look just great? Well done.

[Bazza]

Haha Tara is second from the right for those who don't know!

The Aussie women do seem to be swimming pretty well, but the men were a bit of a let down. Only Hackett seems to be swimming particularly well at the moment.