Mighty Blues shoot to thrill on night one

The Mighty Blues aimed to thrill this evening at the premiere finals session of the 2022 NSW Senior State Age Championships.

Lillie McPherson (Manly) started the session off with a bang, clearly hungry for the number one spot in the Women’s 12-13 Years 200m Free event. McPherson took a commanding lead over her competition heading into the last 50m and charged into the wall in a quick 2:06.06, claiming the first gold of the evening. Asha Ring (SOPAC) 2:10.84 and Tilly Fikkers (Berkeley) 2:11.01 rounded out the podium in second and third place respectively.

It was a tough battle between contenders in lanes 4, 5 and 6 in the Men’s 13-14 Years 200m IM. Grayson Doig (Trinity Grammar) and Anton Jovanovic (Liverpool) were head-to-head until Nicholas Stoupas (Cranbrook) skilfully gained ground with a strong breaststroke leg. The extra effort paid off for Stoupas, earning him second place in 2:13.94, just behind Doig (2:13.43) in first, with Jovanovic claiming the bronze (2:13.98).

The evening’s Freestyle events set the pool on fire, commencing with the 100m and amping up to the splash and dash 50m events. It was teammate v teammate in the 16 Years 100m events with Knox Pymble’s Kai Lilienthal chasing gold medallist Tane Bidois into the wall in 52.62 and 52.45 respectively. In the corresponding women’s event Chelsea Jones (Wests Illawarra) had training buddy Jaimie Delutiis bearing down over her shoulder. Jones touched the wall just 0.06 seconds ahead of Delutiis, claiming gold in 56.87.

Wests Illawarra were here for it tonight in the Women’s 100m Free events with Sydney Brown bringing home the 17 Years & Over title in 56.30.

It was a tight field in the Men’s 50m Free events. Knox Pymble’s Will McDonagh barrelled into the wall in a quick 23.64 in the Men’s 17 Years event, putting Declan Quirk (SOPAC) in second position just a fingernail behind him in 23.67. Wagga Wagga’s Jamie Mooney claimed the bronze in 23.96.

The fastest event of the night, the Men’s 18 Years & Over 50m Freestyle did not disappoint. Joshua Collett (Bond, V) blazed home in 23.13 to share the top spot on the podium with Mighty Blues Zach Maher (Carlile, 23.20). SOPAC’s Tomas Kapocius fought for a hotly contended silver medal, earning his place in 23.35, just ahead of Thomas Robinson (Cruiz, 23.45).

After watching Ariarne Titmus soar to Olympic success in the Women’s 400m Freestyle in Tokyo last year, we could hardly wait to see what NSW’s up and coming talent had in store for this iconic event. Wests Illawarra brought the 14 Years title home, with Jessica Cole touching the wall in 4:26.95, followed by Annika Fowler (Manly) 4:27.29, and Macy Beuzeville (Warringah Aquatic) 4:27.32.

Lachlan Davies (Warringah Aquatic) put on an impressive show in the Men’s 13-14 Years 200m Backstroke, leaving competitors in his wake. Davies started to make a move at the 150m mark and was rewarded after he cranked it into overdrive in the final 15m of his race, winning gold in 2:12.90. It was a tight battle for second place between James Biddington (Woden) and Roy Ma (Carlile). Biddington took out silver in 2:16.34, with Ma just behind him (2:16.46).

An event not for the faint of heart – the Women’s 16 Years 200m Butterfly – was one of the most thrilling of the evening. The utterly untouchable Abbey Connor (Revesby Workers) powered through her paces, sitting just above NSW Record time, with Trinity Grammar’s Bella Grant relentlessly pushing her along. Connor left nothing in the tank in her last 50m, getting her hand on the wall in 2:13.32. Grant claimed the silver in 2:15.21, with Ava Jankovic (Valley Aquatic) rounding out the podium in 2:18.04.

The Men’s 100m Breaststroke events were certainly ones to watch, with Tokyo Olympians, Matt Wilson (SOPAC) and Se-Bom Lee (Carlile) headlining the 18 Years & Over event.

All eyes were on SOPAC rising star Haig Buckingham in the 17 Years event as he took a confident lead just before the 50m mark. Buckingham was in great form this evening, confidently executing his race and getting his hand on the wall in a blistering 1:01.33 to claim gold. This sensational swim earned Buckingham Swimmer of the Night!

Joshua Collett (Bond) made Matt Wilson work for gold, challenging him for the title throughout the entire 100m. Wilson dug deep and claimed first place on the podium in 1:02.20, ahead of Collett in 1:02.80. Angus Menzies (Knox Pymble) earned a tied second place with Collett in 1:04.74, with Medley swimmer Se-Bom Lee (Carlile) rounding out the podium in 1:05.33.