Night Five off to a Flying Start

The Men’s 17 Years 200m Backstroke event was off to a smooth and even start. By the 150m mark contender Callum Thomas (Loreto Normanhurst) had built a significant lead and a solid final turn gave him the advantage on the way home. Lifting his stroke rate and motoring along, Thomas strived to maintain his lead all while a battle for silver and bronze between Justin Lee (Knox Pymble), Daniel McLoughlin (Kincumber Pacific Dolphins) and Joshua Reed (Novocastrian) was happening just behind him in lanes five, six and seven. Thomas cruised into the wall and stopped the clock in 2:06.21 to claim gold. Novocastrian’s Joshua Reed powered ahead of the competition and claimed silver in 2:08.40, while Daniel McLoughlin touched in a smooth 2:08.70 for the bronze.

It was the Woodward and Swinburn show in the Men’s 18 Years & Over 200m Backstroke. In lane four, Stuart Swinburn (City of Sydney Aquatic) had a slight advantage early on, but Brad Woodward (Mingara Aquatic) made up ground by the halfway mark. Head-to-head by the final 50m, Woodward and Swinburn both executed skilful turns and challenged each other back towards the wall. Woodward showcased his fitness in the final 15m, picking up his stroke rate and touching first in 2:00.59, just above the NSW Record of 1:59.98. Swinburn cruised into the wall in a quick 2:01.49 to claim second place. In a riveting comeback after taking an early lead and falling into step with the rest of the field, Shaye Booth (Mingara Aquatic) powered through his final 50m to claim third place from lane two in 2:05.79.

It was a thrilling clash in the splash and dash Women’s 12-13 Years 50m Freestyle event. A talented field, there was no lead in sight until the 25m mark, until contenders Lillie McPherson (Manly) and Asha Ring (SOPAC) pulled ahead in lanes four and five. Pushing each other along, McPherson and Ring powered into the wall in a wash of white water, McPherson winning the top spot on the podium in 26.81, a hand ahead of Ring in 26.98 – both times searingly close to the NSW Record of 26.27. Wenona’s Kira Long put her mark on third place, earning her spot in 28.11.

The fastest qualifier in this event cracking two minutes in the heats session, Marcus Da Silva (City of Sydney Aquatic) had a confident start in the Men’s 15 Years 200m Freestyle. First off the wall on the first turn, Da Silva kept the momentum going, with TSS Aquatic’s Matthew Lowe over his shoulder. Da Silva demonstrated his endurance, digging deep and forging further ahead of his competition to put a full body length between himself and the rest of the field. Touching the wall in first place, Da Silva finished in a comfortable 1:55.41, followed by Samuel Higgs (Warringah Aquatic) 1:58.41 and Matthew Lowe (TSS Aquatic, V) 1:58.56. A visitor, Lowe shared third place on the podium with Koby Hall (Novocastrian) 1:58.84.

It was a heart-wrenching final in the corresponding Women’s event. Carlile’s Olivia Wunsch qualified through just 2.23 seconds above the NSW Record, creating an atmosphere of excitement and expectation at the pool of dreams. True to form, Wunsch went out to create a strong lead, chasing the record down, with notorious contenders Dijana Mazumdar (Barker Aquatic) and Dominique Melbourn (Warringah Aquatic) on her heels. The anticipation was thick in the final 50m, the crowd cheering Wunsch into the wall. Missing out on a new NSW Record by just 0.02 seconds, Wunsch still turned out a superb swim, earning gold in 2:00.90. Mazumdar and Melbourn went head-to-head for a spot on the podium, with Mazumdar touching in 2:06.00 to claim silver and Melbourn in 2:06.25 for bronze.

Backing up from the 100m Butterfly event earlier in the evening, guns Bianca Fuller (Kinross Wolaroi), Bella Grant (Trinity Grammar), Ava Jankovic (Valley Aquatic) and Sophie Mayes (Trinity Lismore) went for glory in the Women’s 16 Years 200m IM. No holds barred, Grant started her race strong and gained an early lead, keen to claim another medal to complement her 100m Fly silver. At the back/breast turn the tides began to change with Fuller asserting her prowess in the breaststroke leg. Dominating at the final turn, Fuller was unreachable in her final 50m, stopping the clock in 2:21.76. In a tight battle for second and third place, Grant and Jankovic powered ahead of the pack to touch in 2:21.76 and 2:25.00 respectively.

The Women’s 17 Years & Over event was off to a flying start with Anneke van Zoggel (SOPAC) leading the way in lane six. Hot on her heels was Carlile’s Francesca Fitzhenry who gained momentum through a hard-fought backstroke leg and sealed the deal in the third 50m to bring home gold in 2:17.91. 17 Years & Over 100m Butterfly bronze medallist, Lexi Harrison (Narrabeen) backed up to earn the silver medal, rapidly making headway from lane seven and touching in 2:20.11. A formidable and relentless presence over Fitzhenry’s shoulder, Ashleigh Oberekar (Valley Aquatic) drove into the wall to claim bronze in 2:20.20.