Two of the world’s best breaststrokers, world record holder Zac Stubblety-Cook (Chandler, QLD) and former world record holder Matthew Wilson (SOPAC) will take centre stage on the final night of competition at the 2023 Sydney Open and UNISPORT Nationals at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre (SOPAC) tonight.
Queenslander Stubblety-Cook only arrived in Sydney yesterday for today’s 200m breaststroke – his only swim of the meet and in the event he has owned for the past three years.
The Olympic and world champion showed he means business with what looked like an effortless heat win this morning in 2:10.28 – a time that would win most finals on the domestic scene with local boy Wilson taking out his heat in a confidence building 2:13.39.
Stubblety-Cook’s world record stands at 2:05.95 – set at last year’s World Trials, the 24-year-old from Chandler the only swimmer to break 2:06.00- and who also owns three of the fastest four times in history.
Wilson’s 2019 time of 2:06.67 equalled the then world record and still stands as the sixth fastest time ever swum and overall, the two Australians have clocked seven of the fastest 20 times recorded.
While Stubblety-Cook’s world record may well be a bridge too far a month out from the 2023 Fukuoka World Championship Trials, his NSW All-Comers time of 2:07.00 (set at this same meet in 2021) may well be under siege.
His fellow Olympic gold medallists Kaylee McKeown (who will also be in action again tonight in the 200m backstroke) and Kyle Chalmers have stolen the headlines over the first two nights, but it will be Stubblety-Cook and Wilson’s turn to stamp their authority on the meet tonight.
It was only in March this year at SOPAC that McKeown added the 200m backstroke world record to her 100m WR, and she has again been in scintillating form here – setting a new Australian All-Comers record in the 200IM (2:07.19) and a personal best in the 400 IM (4:31.68), as well as a world class time of 58.33 to win the 100m backstroke.
Her 200m backstroke WR stands at 2:03.14 and while that may also be out of reach, McKeown never lets a chance go by for the swimmer who owns five of the fastest 10 times ever swum and 10 of the fastest 25 times between her world record of 2:03.14 and the 25th fastest time of 2:05.55.
Chalmers was back in the pool this morning (after his third fastest time in the world this year of 47.69 to win the 100m freestyle last night) cruising through his 200m freestyle heat in 1:51.51.
But along with his Marion, SA, teammates Matthew Temple (200m freestyle and 50m butterfly), Meg Harris (100m butterfly and 100m freestyle) and Madison Wilson (100m freestyle) as well as Tea Tree Gully’s Brittany Castelluzzo (100m butterfly and 100m freestyle) – the South Australian contingent will not contest tonight’s finals.
As part of the South Australian Sports Institute (SASI) the top SA swimmers left Sydney this afternoon for a final pre-World Trials Camp in Darwin.
It will provide opportunities for Bond University trio Flynn Southam (second to Chalmers in the 100m) in the 200m freestyle and Mia O’Leary and Milla Jansen in the 100m freestyle finals.
Other finals to watch tonight will be the women's 800m freestyle featuring 200 and 400m winner, New Zealand's Erika Fairweather up against Australian girls Lani Pallister (Griffith University, QLD) and 1500m winner Madeleine Gough (Bond University, QLD) and Bradley Woodward (Western Sydney Uni) and Josh Edwards-Smith in the men's 100m backstroke.
