Tokyo Olympic golden girls Ariarne Titumus, Kaylee McKeown and Emma McKeon and Rio golden boys Kyle Chalmers and Mack Horton will headline the strongest array of talent seen in five years at this week's three-day 2023 NSW State Open Swimming Championships at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre (SOPAC) - starting Friday.
The heats and finals format will be swum over three days (March 10-12) with 21 Tokyo Olympians, 14 Paralympians and a total of 47 members of last year's victorious Birmingham Commonwealth Games swim team arriving in to Sydney Olympic Park.
It will be another major hit out in the countdown to the World Championship Trials in Melbourne from June 13-18 and the Australian Age and Open Championships in April on the Gold Coast.
"This is the best depth of talent we've seen at a NSW Open Championships in five years," said Swimming NSW Coaching Director Jon Shaw.
"Everywhere you look there's a superstar - Olympians and Paralympians in almost every event.
"Our meet in 2019 was good but I'd even say it's the best we've seen since 2018.
"I know we went through COVID in 2019 and 2020 but looking at the depth of swimmers from around Australia and throughout NSW, is amazing - it's going to be tough just to make finals."
Joining the five individual Olympic gold medallists will be reigning World Champions Mollie O'Callaghan and Elijah Winnington and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Shayna Jack, who like Titmus represent the powerful St Peters Western club in Queensland.
The who's who list continues with triple Olympian Cam McEvoy (Sommerville House, QLD), swimming's pop star Cody Simpson, World Short Course star Lani Paliister (Griffith University), Tokyo relay gold medallists Madi Wilson and Meg Harris (Marion, SA) along with Paralympic gold medallists Lakeisha Patterson, Brenden Hall (USC Spartans, QLD) and Benjamin Hance (St Andrews, QLD) and world record holder and World and Commonwealth Champion, Sydney's own Tim Hodge (ACU Blacktown). Hodge Triumphant in World Para Series.
The opening day's action will feature the men's 100m freestyle which will live up to it's blue ribband tag with Aussie sprint king Chalmers lining up against British record holder Lewis Burras (Peel Aquatic, WA) who trains under former British world record holder Zoe Baker in Mandurah.
They'll be joined by a flurry of talent from Aussie foursome Flynn Southam (Bond, QLD), Will Yang (SOPAC, NSW), Jack Cartwright (St Peters Western, QLD), Olympic relay medallist Matt Temple (Marion, SA) along with Kai Taylor (St Peters Western) and triple Olympian Cam McEvoy to chart buster Cody Simpson ranked 10th.
The first event will see Winnington and Horton (Griffith University) on top of psyche sheets in the men's 400m freestyle alongside youngsters Joshua Staples (St Peters Western) and Matthew Galea (SOPAC) as well as Australian Surf Team world champion James Koch (Sydney University).
Followed by the women's 50m butterfly which will see Australia's premier Olympic and Commonwealth Games swimmer Emma McKeon (Griffith University, QLD) in the water alongside Commonwealth Games team mate Alexandria Perkins (USC Spartans, QLD) and Marion SA pair Meg Harris and Ellysia Oldsen and Carlile 16 year old Olivia Wunsch.
It will be the first of five events for McKeon who will also line up in the 100m and 200m butterfly and the 50 and 100m freestyle (also on day one) in her first competition since her triumphant World Short Course campaign in Melbourne late last year.
The women's 100m freestyle will see McKeon up against Shayna Jack, Meg Harris, Madi Wilson, Ariarne Titmus and dual Olympian Brianna Throssell (St Peters Western, QLD) as well as 16 year olds Milla Jansen (Bond, QLD) and Olivia Wunsch (Carlile, NSW).
One notable absentee is Mollie O'Callaghan who has chosen to swim the 200m backstroke on the opening day - where she will face off against world record holder and Olympic, World and Commonwealth Games champion Kaylee McKeown. McKeown's Masterclass at Victorian State Championships.
The finals session will also see Australia's big gun distance girls, led by Olympic silver medallist Titmus up against her SPW club mate Kiah Melverton and World Short Course champion Pallister.
2023 NSW State Open Championships
Click HERE for live stream and start lists.
Session Times:
Friday, March 10 - Heats: 9am; Finals 6pm;
Saturday, March 11 - Heats: 9am; Finals 6pm;
Sunday, March 12 - Heats: 9am; Finals 5:30pm.
