Mighty Blues Dominate Final Night Of State Champs While "Mollie O" Strikes Gold In The 200m Freestyle
Gold Medal winning NSW foursome Will Yang, Matthew Wilson, Matthew Galea, Sienna Toohey and former Sydneysider Abbey Connor have all struck gold on the final night of the 2024 NSW State Championships.
It was a big night for the Blues and the Sydney Olympic Swim Club trio Yang, Wilson and Galea – all coached by Adam Kable - and NSW Country tyro, Toohey who is coached by Wayne Gould in Albury.
While there was also cause for celebration for ex-Sydney teen, Birmingham Commonwealth Games finalist Connor (USC Spartans) who has swum her way into Paris contention with a personal best time of 2:06.59 (ninth fastest Australian) in what was a happy home coming in the 200m butterfly for the 18-year-old former Sydney schoolgirl, who has resurrected her career under coach Mick Palfrey on the Queensland Sunshine Coast
Former world record holder Wilson (SOSC, NSW) hitting his straps in winning the 200m breaststroke in 2:09.87 – his fastest time since the Tokyo Trials in 2021 and his first time under 2:10.00 in almost three years – encouraging signs he is on track for the Paris Trials in Brisbane in June.
Yang (SOSC. NSW) added the 100m backstroke to his encouraging 100m freestyle win on night one, in a time of 54.88, from Lewis Blackburn (St Andrews, QLD) 55.32 and Tokyo Olympian and 200m winner Se-Bom Lee (SOSC, NSW) third in 55.88.
And their club mate, Galea, also under coach Kable, adding the 1500m freestyle title to his win last night in the 800m, clocking 15:11.75 from 400mmwinner Benjamin Goedemans (St Peters Western, QLD) 15.25.96 and Lachlan Walker (Bond, QLD) 15:40.35.
While emerging 15-year-old Albury Amateur, NSW prospect Toohey has turned her silver in the 100m breaststroke (1:07.97pb) into gold to win her first NSW Open title in another pb of 31.34 ahead of Tara Kinder (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) 31.64 and Mia O’Leary (Bond) 31.70.
It was eight-time world champion, Mollie O’Callaghan who added the 200m freestyle title to her 100m freestyle win, confirming she is on track for what is expected to be the most competitive Olympic Trials on record in Brisbane in June.
“Mollie O” wrapped up her NSW State campaign with a convincing win in the 200m freestyle, clocking a solid 1:54.76, with Titmus (after hard-fought wins in the 400 and 800m freestyle) second in 1:55.81.
Later revealing her sadness at missing the finals teams in the 4x100 and 4x200m freestyle relays as the driving force to make the teams for Paris.
“I always think back to that moment of the 4x100m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle (finals) in Tokyo and watching what I missed out on, and I want to be a part of that this time around,” said O’Callaghan, now the world champion and world record holder after winning that event, the 200m freestyle on final night of the 2024 NSW State Championships in Sydney.
“It was very sad for me really…but that is one of my main drives…. It has really driven me to this point and I’m always pushing for more.
“Heading into my first Olympics it was a bit of a surprise to be honest; I wasn’t meant to make the team… I was just happy enough to be on the team and experiencing that and taking the good and the bad.”
(O’Callaghan has now swum two times faster than this year’s Doha World Championship winning time swum by Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey in 1:54.89, but who will be one of the big improvers to beat in Paris, after clocking the season’s fastest time of 1:54.08 at last year’s World Cup.)
O’Callaghan and Titmus were followed home in the 200m by Griffith University’s 21-year-old Lani Pallister(who chased Titmus in those two gruelling affairs over 400 and 800m), third in a personal best time of 1:55.92 – her first time under 1:56.00 as she targets the 4x200m as well as the 400, 800 and 1500m at the June Trials for Paris.
Her coach Michael Bohl declaring before the meet that Pallister was preparing for the 200 as she “wants in” on the 4x200m freestyle relay – her time the third fastest by an Australian this season with O’Callaghan (1:54.36 at the Queensland Championships in December) and Titmus (1:55.81).
Fourth home in the 200m freestyle was Pallister’s training partner, the ever-present backstroking queen Kaylee McKeown, who was also in personal best form, clocking 1:56.06 – also potentially on paper putting herself in the 4x200m freestyle picture – although the Olympic program clash with McKeown’s 200m backstroke heats and semifinals on the same day would more than likely preclude her.
McKeown added wins in the 50m backstroke in 27.25 and the 200IM in 2:08.84 to her world class performances in the 100m backstroke (57.57) and the 200m backstroke (2:04.21) – from a total of 10 races including heats and finals across a busy three days.
Meanwhile, major Paris medal contender Matt Temple (Marion, SA) who has posted another world class time of 50.61 – coming after his Australian record time of 50.25 at the Japan Open last November. With Shaun Champion (Abbotsleigh, NSW) next in 51.97, followed Ben Armbruster (Bond, QLD) next in 52.50 and Cody Simpson (Griffith University) 52.78. He was later second in 22.37 behind Commonwealth Games teammate Thomas Nowakowski (USC Spartans) 22.09 in the 50m freestyle, with Jamie Jack (St Peters Western, QLD) – Shayna’s brother – third in 22.45.
NSW State Championships Day Three Photo Credits Emma Newton
