Resurrected Queensland swim star Shayna Jack (St Peters Western, QLD) has wasted no time launching her campaign for this year’s FINA World Championships and Commonwealth Games with a slashing 100m freestyle heat swim on the opening morning of the 2022 NSW State Swimming Championships.
The 23-year-old who fought for two years to clear her name after a positive doping test in 2019, clocked 53.91 to head the qualifiers into tonight’s 10-lane final at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre.
Jack returned to competitive swimming last December under coach Dean Boxall.
Opportunity knocks again for Jack who knows she has another chance to start her pathway dream to Paris in 2024 and there’s no place better than the FINA World’s that she missed in Gwangju and the Commonwealth Games where she won Gold Coast gold in 2018.
Jack was the only swimmer under 54 seconds with Tokyo Olympians Madi Wilson (Marion, SA) 54.35, her St Peters Western club mates and training partners, Olympic champion over 200 and 400m Ariarne Titmus 54.55 and dual relay gold medallist Mollie O’Callaghan and former WA dual Olympian Brianna Throssell (USC Spartans, QLD) 55.70 also lining up in the final.
O’Callaghan, who will hone her skills on freestyle and backstroke in the lead up to this year’s international meets, later topped the qualifiers in the 200m backstroke in 2:13.23 ahead of improving Trinity Grammar teenage Bella Grant who clocked a personal best of 2:13.99 in the heats.
But the one to watch will be Olympic champion Kaylee McKeown (Griffith University) who is one of several Olympians who have linked with coaching maestro Michael Bohl, cruising home in 2:14.76.
McKeown raised the roof at the recent Victorian State Championships with her sizzling season opener of 2:04.64 – faster than her Tokyo triumph – so she is very much in form.
The men’s 100m freestyle saw Wilson’s new training partner, Tokyo Olympic gold medallist Matt Temple (Marion, SA) and know under coach Peter Bishop top the qualifiers in 50.06 ahead of Cody Simpson (Griffith University, QLD) in a personal best of 50.12, former WA boys Ashton Brinkworth (USC Spartans) 50.73 and Tokyo relay bronze medallist Zac Incerti (Marion, SA) 50.80.
Another Tokyo Olympian, one of 21 entered in this meet, Elijah Winnington (St Peters Western, QLD) also finds himself in the final with a 51.13 after a powerhouse opening heat of the day which saw him clock easily the fastest qualifying time of 3:51.82.
A final that will also include 19-year-old Ryan Wilkes (Sydney University, NSW) in a personal best of 3:55.56, rising Gold Coast star Thomas Hauck (All Saints, QLD) 3:55.79, Matthew Galea (SOPAC Swim Club) 3:56.10, Tokyo 400IM bronze medallist Brendon Smith (Griffith University) 3:56.79, Kai Taylor (St Peters Western, QLD) 3:56.94 and Rio Olympic champion Mack Horton (Griffith University, QLD) 3:57.09.
Others to watch out for tonight include:
- Former Victorian boy Bowen Gough (Griffith University, QLD), unlucky to miss the team for Toyko who clocked the fastest time in the 200m butterfly heats of 2:00.63. Gough and former Nunawading team mate Smith are now also both on the Gold Coast under Bohl.
- Tokyo trio, medley relay gold medallist Chelsea Hodges (Southport, QLD) 1:08.41, Abbey Harkin ((St Peters Western, QLD) 1:08.83 and Jenna Strauch (Miami, QLD) 1:08.89) in the women’s 100m breaststroke.
- Seventeen-year-old National Age champion from the Blue Mountains, Haig Buckingham (Sydney Olympic Park Swim Club) who will line up as the second fastest qualifier in 28.20 behind Joshua Yong (USC Spartans) 27.86) with 27-year-old Rio Olympic relay bronze medallist Jake Packard (USC Spartans, QLD) always a danger.
- While among the Tokyo Paralympians in action will be the leading qualifiers in the men’s 200m freestyle Multi-Class, gold medallist Benjamin Hance (USC Spartans, QLD) 1:58.30; Matthew Levy (North Sydney) in a personal best of 2:17.55; Braeden Jason (USC Spartans) also in in a personal best of 2:01.47 and Liam Schluter (USC Spartans) 2:02.70.
- And the women’s 200m freestyle MC sees Ruby Storm (USC Spartans, QLD) 2:17.42; Paralympic golden girl and Tokyo flagbearer Ellie Cole (Knox Pymble, NSW) 2:19.19; Jade Lucy (SLC Aquadot, NSW) 2:21.14 and Taylor Corry (Nelson Bay) 2:21.14, all qualifying.
You can watch all the action tonight poolside, with $1.95 Finals sessions for spectators aged 18 and older. Accompanied children are welcome to attend for free! Or tune in from the comfort of your home via SwimTV live stream. It all kicks off tonight at 5:45pm.
Full 2022 NSW State Open Championships event info can be found on the Swimming NSW website.
