Duelling breaststrokers Matt Wilson (SOPAC, NSW) and Zac Stubblety-Cook (Chandler, QLD) are tuning up their Tokyo Olympic preparations this weekend at the Sydney Open.
The 22-year-olds are ranked amongst the fastest 200m breaststrokers in the world with their sights set on making their Olympic debuts in Japan in July.
Wilson, the boy from the Blue Mountains – the former world record holder, who trains under the watchful eyes of coach Adam Kable at the Sydney Olympic Park Hub, won silver in the World Championship final in Gwangju in 2019 – Stubblety-Cook, coached by the wily Vince Raleigh in Brisbane, was a close-up fourth.
Last night (Saturday) they swam in different heats in their specialist event – Wilson clocking 2:08.60 to win heat one before Stubblety-Cook, lined up to take heat two, a touch slower in 2:08.92.
And that’s where the similarities at this stage of their preparations for next month’s Olympic Trials in Adelaide finish.
Wilson, treating the heat as a final, powered through the first 100m in 1:01.57 opposed to Stubblety-Cook’s easier first 100m 1:03.44 with Wilson’s backend 100m split 1:07.03 and renowned big finisher Stubblety-Cook charging home in 1:05.48 –in the end just 0.32 slower than Wilson on the night.
Wilson’s swim tonight was treated as a final with Kable preparing his charge for an evening final at the Trials, as opposed to the morning finals awaiting swimmers at the Games themselves and comes after a race pace “heat” swim in training yesterday morning.
Kable says he wants Wilson and his fellow Olympic hopeful, 200m backstroker Bradley Woodward to prepare for the Trials first – and then hone in on Tokyo.
Stubblety-Cook will line up in the final without his partner in crime, looking to improve on his heat swim with Wilson “sitting this one out” but certainly a very interested spectator.
The fastest time ever swum in NSW is 2:08.25 – in 2009 by Japan’s Ryo Tateishi, Olympic bronze medallist in London in 2012 - that time is under siege.
Wilson holds the Australian All-comers record at 2:07.16 set in the World’s Trials in 2019 – on his best day that time is certainly not out of Stubblety-Cook’s reach – with his personal best sitting at 2:07.28 – swum at the 2019 Queensland Championships.
He is also the 2020-21 Season rankings leader with his 2:07.96 swum at last December’s Queensland Championships.
One thing is certain, as soon as Stubblety-Cook turns for home at the 100m mark and then the 150 turn, the afterburners will be turned on.
But when the pair meet again in a month at the SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre, the only time on their minds will be 2:08.28 – the Olympic qualifying time they have to achieve on the night of June 15 when the race for seats on the plane to their first Olympic Games will be on in earnest!
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