Australian Swimming Trials 2024, day 2: All the latest from Paris Olympic qualifiers, McKeown narrowly misses a world record again
Kaylee McKeown narrowly missed a world record in the 200m individual medley on night one, and went even closer in the 100m backstroke, but still no record. Full recap of finals on day two at Australia’s Olympic swimming trials.
Olympics
Don't miss out on the headlines from Olympics. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Night two of finals at the Australian Olympic Swimming Trials again delivered. After an almost momentous night one where two world records were threatened, by Ariarne Titmus and Kaylee McKeown, the latter was primed to go a few seconds better in the final of the women’s 100 metre backstroke 24 hours later, and did. But still no world record.
The insanely tough qualification standards have also put several of night two’s swimmers now in the hands of selectors as to whether they go to Paris.
But McKeown opened the night and was ultimately the star of the show.
World record, almost, but still not happy
– Julian Linden
You must know you’re pretty good when you swim faster than anyone else in history and you’re still not happy.
But that’s Australian superstar Kaylee McKeown to a tee.
McKeown has booked herself a second swim at the Paris Olympics after blitzing her opponents to win the women’s 100m backstroke at the national swimming trials at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre.
There was no real surprise with that because McKeown is unchallenged as the world’s premier female backstroker.
The only real surprise will be if she doesn’t win the gold at Paris, not that you will hear from her.
Get all the latest from the Australian swimming trials below and follow the results in our live table
Her mantra is just to take everything one race at a time and no-one in world swimming does that better than her.
McKeown’s winning time at the trials was 57.41 seconds – just 0.08 outside the world record of 57.33 she set less than six months ago.
“I was a bit disappointed with that,” McKeown said. “There is room for improvement.”
McKeown currently owns nine of the fastest 10 times in history, with only Regan Smith blotting her perfect copybook. The American is McKeown’s biggest rival in Paris.
McKeown had already won the 200m individual medley on Monday and has the 200m backstroke and 200m freestyle to come.
She could potentially swim six events in Paris, including three relays, and would have strong medal prospects in all of them.
Having wrongly been told she had broken the 200m individual medley world record on Monday when red-faced organisers made an embarrassing blunder, McKeown almost broke a record for real on Tuesday, going through the first lap under world record pace before just missing the touch on the wall.
“If you are gonna get up and do a 200m effort you are not going to come in the next day feeling refreshed,” McKeown said.
“I’ve booked myself another ticket to Paris and another chance to go faster.”
Her teammate Mollie O’Callaghan finished second in 57.88 – third fastest in the world this year and well under Australia’s strict qualifying standard – but is unlikely to swim the event at Paris because she may have a full schedule.
That could open the way for teenager Iona Anderson to make her Olympic debut after finishing third in 58.43, but that won’t be confirmed until Saturday.
“I’m happy with anything, it’s 100m backstroke,” O’Callaghan said
“For me, it’s a fun event. I don’t really train for it. So you know, to go out there and do a 57 it’s just amazing.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself regardless … so I’m really really happy with the outcome. There’s so much more room to improve.”
In an Australian team packed with stars, McKeown could be the brightest of the lot.
She hasn’t been beaten in backstroke since 2019, and shows no sign of being satisfied with her already staggering collection of medals and achievements.
She has four backstroke world records under her name – three in long-course (50m, 100m and 200m) and one in shortcourse (200m).
Now training with master coach Michael Bohl, the 22-year-old Queenslander has gone from strength to strength since Tokyo and is now ranked No. 1 in the world in both backstrokes and the 200m medley.
She’s also ranked second in 400m medley but won’t swim that at the Olympics.
“There is always room for improvement. Personally I’m glad to see someone else join the 57 club, I think Mollie is the fourth person to do that,” McKeown said.
Asked if she expected to join Dawn Fraser as the only Australian women to successfully defend an Olympic title, McKeown replied: “Everyone has been asking that question, all I can say is you have to wait and see.”
O’Callaghan is also expected to have a busy schedule in France.
Her best races – 100m and 200m freestyle – are yet to come. If she qualifies in those as expected she could have six events in Paris – with four relays – but no room for the 100m backstroke.
“I’m definitely excited (to be on the Olympic team) there is more to come this week. I am definitely nervous but it’s a great way to start the week off,” she said.
“As Kaylee said, we will wait and see how the rest of the meet goes, hopefully I qualify for another two or three individual events and decide from there.”
Recap every final on night two.
09:15 PM: Multi-class breaststroker Grant Patterson is also off to the Paralympics.
09:03PM:
Giuliani sets Thorpe-like time in 200 metres freestyle
– Todd Balym
Australia’s fastest man since Ian Thorpe – Gold Coast based Tasmanian Max Giuliani – is off to the Paris Olympics after winning a blanket finish in the 200m freestyle final.
Giuliani won in a time of 1:45.83 to secure the guaranteed qualifying time selection, storming home over the final 30m to touch ahead of Thomas Neill (1:46.02) in lane one.
Giuliani had been the swimmer everyone was expecting big things from this year after he posted the second fastest time in Australian history, behind only Thorpe, at the Queensland titles last December.
Elijah Winnington took third place in 1:46.07 while Kai Taylor, son of former Olympian Hayley Lewis, was fourth in 1:46.26 and will go to Paris as part of the 4x200m freestyle relay team.
Zac Incerti (1:46.83) had led for the opening 150m but faded in the final 25m is likely to also secure relay selection, while Alexander Graham placed sixth in 1:47.11 and may also be considered for the team if coaches opt to take six relay swimmers.
08:53PM: The little known Max Giuliani beats the strict qualification time and holds out Brisbane’s Thomas Neil in the men’s 200 metres freestyle.
08:46PM: Three more Paralympians in the swim team for Paris. Benjamin Hance (100 metres multi-class butterfly), Jasmine Greenwood and Emily Beecroft (100 metres multi-class butterfly)
08:32PM:
Ridiculous qualification standards again put swimmers in selectors’ hands
– Todd Balym
What a buzz kill.
Australia’s ridiculous qualification standards have taken all the excitement and energy out of the Olympic trials as Sunshine Coast backstroker Isaac Cooper became the second event winner of the night to fail to secure a guaranteed Olympic selection despite winning his race.
Not long after the women’s 100m breaststroke final failed to reach the qualifying time, Cooper won the men’s 100m backstroke in 53.46s but missed the cut off time.
How cruel to crush someone’s Olympic dreams all because Australian enforces a selection policy whereby you must be the equivalent of the top eight in the world to make the team.
Cooper will have the 50m freestyle tomorrow to try to secure guaranteed selection on the team, while runner up Bradley Woodward (53.53s) has the 200m backstroke to still try to qualify.
Both are most likely going to make the Paris team, if not for their other events, then as medley relay swimmers. Which makes the buzzkill of not letting them celebrate tonight even more bizarre.
Australia must take a backstroke swimmer for the medley relay, but the fact Cooper was over a second off the existing Australian record and almost two seconds off the world record shows just how much the team may struggle in the team event in Paris.
“Australia is always going to need a backstroker (for the medley relay),” Cooper said.
“I’ve still got the 50 free tomorrow.”
08:26PM: The 100 metres men’s backstroke has been swum and won, but again Isaac Cooper and Bradley Woodward miss qualification time narrowly. The qualifying time was 53.21 and the world record is 51.6.
08:20PM:
Breaststroker’s selection up in air despite win
– Todd Balym and Julian Linden
Jenna Strauch has put herself in a position to potentially qualify for the Olympic Games, but faces a nervous wait to secure selection after missing the qualification time in the 100m breaststroke final.
Strauch won the 100m breaststroke in 1:06.90 just ahead of Ella Ramsay in 1:06.94 – but both failed to reach Swimming Australia’s insanely tough qualifying standard but Strauch did go under the official Olympic qualifying time so will be assured of a spot because Australia will need a breastroker for the medley relay.
Ramsay had already swum her way onto the team in the 200m medley on night one, so theoretically the Australian coaches could simply use Ramsay as the medley relay breaststroke swimmer.
However, Strauch much prefers the 200m and with another shot to secure individual selection later in the week she will take confidence from a 100m win into her main event later in the meet. “I’m really happy with that 100,” she said. “I was a little bit off my pace but every time I get up to race and try my race plan that is all I can ask for.”
“A little bit off my pace but every time I get a chance to get up and race and try my race plan, that is all I can ask. “If you look around pool deck, every athlete has a story and every athlete has faced adversity. I faced mine last year.
“You find a way to find your love for the sport and what you need to do to get back. Am stoked to be back swimming and I can be around my teammates.”
Strauch overcame a painful knee injury to qualify for her second Olympics by winning the women’s 100m breaststroke final.
08:12PM: “Yeah Lex you’ve come so far,” (via Channel 9). From a hospital bed with a brain injury to the Paralympian team for Alexa Leary. “Six months in that hospital and they never let go of me.”
08:10PM: Three more qualifiers for the Paralympics with Alexa Leary, Tom Gallagher and Rowan Crothers book their ticket.
07:52PM: Victorian Jenna Strauch has won the 100 metres breaststroke narrowly from Queensland’s Ella Ramsay. Both just outside the qualification time, so it is in the selectors’ hands.
07:48PM:
McKeown misses world mark, but reasserts her dominance in the backstroke
– Julian Linden and Todd Balym
Two down, two to go.
Kaylee McKeown has booked herself a second swim at the Paris Olympics after blitzing her opponents to win the women’s 100m backstroke at the Australian swimming trials at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre.
There was no real surprise with that because McKeown is unchallenged as the world’s premier female backstroker.
The only real surprise will be if she doesn’t win the gold at Paris, no that you will hear from her.
Her mantra is just to take everything one race at a time and no-one in world swimming does that better than her.
McKeown’s winning time at the trials was 57.41 seconds – just 0.08 outside the world record of 57.33 she set less than six months ago.
“I was a bit disappointed with that,” McKeown said. “There is room for improvement.”
She currently owns nine of the fastest 10 times in history, with only Regan Smith blotting her perfect copybook. The American is McKeown’s biggest rival in Paris.
McKeown had already won the 200m individual medley on Monday and has the 200m backstroke and 200m freestyle to come.
She could potentially swim six events in Paris, including three relays, and would have medal prospects in all of them.
Having wrongly been told she had broken the 200m individual medley world record on Monday when red-faced organisers made an embarrassing blunder, McKeown almost broke a record for real on Tuesday, going through the first lap under world record pace before just missing the touch on the wall.
Her teammate Mollie O’Callaghan finished second in 57.88 – third fastest in the world this year and well under Australia’s strict qualifying standard – but is unlikely to swim the event at the Paris Olympics because she has a full schedule.
That could open the way for teenager Iona Anderson to make her Olympic debut after finishing third in 58.43, but that won’t be confirmed until Saturday.
In an Australian team packed with stars, McKeown could be the brightest of the lot.
She hasn’t been beaten in backstroke since 2019, and shows no sign of being satisfied with her already staggering collection of medals and achievements.
She has four backstroke world records under her name – three in long-course (50m, 100m and 200m) and one in shortcourse (200m).
Now training with master coach Michael Bohl, the 22-year-old Queenslander has gone from strength to strength since Tokyo and is now ranked No. 1 in the world in both backstrokes and the 200m medley.
She’s also ranked second in 400m medley but won’t swim that at the Olympics.
O’Callaghan is also expected to have a busy schedule.
Her best races – 100m and 200m freestyle – are yet to come. If she qualified in those she could have six events – with four relays – but no room for the 100m backstroke.
07:40PM Kaylee McKeown has narrowly missed another world record by eight one hundredths of a second and only just beaten Mollie O’Callaghan in the 100 metres backstroke which the youngster will add to her freestyle repertoire for Paris. Seventeen one hundredths the final margin!
07:37PM The first final of the night about to commence. It is the women’s 100 metre backstroke final.
MCKEOWN PRIMED FOR WORLD RECORD SHOT AS OLYMPIC TRIALS HEAT UP
– Julian Linden
Kaylee McKeown has put herself in prime position to attack one of her world records at the Australian Olympic trials at Brisbane Aquatic Centre.
Having wrongly been told she had broken the 200m individual medley world record on Monday when red-faced organisers made an embarrassing blunder, McKeown will be out to lower her personal best in the women’s 100m backstroke.
Her personal best — 57.33 seconds — also happens to be the world record she set less than six months ago but she’s in such great form she could break it again.
Taking it easy in her heats, she posted the second fastest time for the final, 59.03, but will have plenty in the tank for Tuesday’s final.
Mollie O’Callaghan set the fastest time of 58.73 but is unlikely to swim the event at the Paris Olympics because she has a full schedule.
That could open the way for a third swimmer to qualify but that won’t be confirmed until Saturday.
MEN’S 200M FREESTYLE
Showing no sign of fatigue after qualifying for his second Olympics in the 400m, Elijah Winnington posted the fastest time in the 200m heats then said he may swim the four-lap race if he gets a top-two finish.
Winnington is also contesting the 800m so would have a heavy schedule if he adds the 200m, but he could take the option of just swimming the 4x200m relay, which Australia has a good chance of getting a medal in.
“Not sure, I have thought about that. That will be a conversation with (coach) Dean (Boxal),” Winnington said.
“I’ll have to make that decision before the end of the meet. Obviously, I’ve got to do it first.
“It’s too late now that that would mean to be doing entries if the other person wants to do the spot, but I’ll also have to judge it after how the 800m goes.
“But it’s a question mark. I’d like to say I’d do it because it’s another swim for Australia, it’s another swim in the Olympics, and if you can throw together a good 200m, it feels really, really good and gives you a lot of confidence.”
Kai Taylor, the son of Hayley Lewis, was second fastest as he aims for his first Olympics.
MEN’S 100M BACKSTROKE
Bradley Woodward led the way with a time of 53.78, outside the qualifying time.
Isaac Cooper was second with veteran Mitch Larkin fourth as he tries to become the first Australian male swimmer to qualify for four Olympics.
The 30-year-old has come back from shoulder surgery so faces a tough challenge but said he has no regrets about taking on the challenge.
“I wouldn’t be swimming like this if I didn’t wanna go to Paris. There’s obviously very much a big hunger still,” Larkin said.
“I love the sport. I love the whole concept of the Olympics, the whole pursuit of taking your body and trying to physically push it as far as it can and better yourself every day. That’s something that really excites me.
“My surgeon said ‘look, realistically, you might never see him again or you may never swim at the top level again. And that was pretty hard to hear. But I had some time to reflect and sort of ‘go, look, you’ve had a pretty good career.’
“But like I said, I love the sport. I’m fortunate enough that I’ve got other opportunities that are waiting for me. If I was to hang up the togs right now, I could sort of step into a full time role and start a career there.
“I never wanted to retire and just think, what would have happened if you had of going back to training and you potentially could have got that shoulder back to what it was capable of. So that’s what’s really driving me the last couple of months.”
“If I don’t make Paris, I’m not gonna have a tantrum. I’ll be obviously pretty upset. You know, four Olympics would be pretty impressive. And I think it’d be a really nice way to just finish off a pretty good career.”
WOMEN’S 100M BREASTSTROKE
Jenna Strauch set the fastest time when she won her heat in 1:07.58, more than a second outside the qualifying time for Paris.
The winner will be guaranteed a spot at the Olympics even if they don’t meet the qualifying time because Australia needs a breaststroker for the medley relays after the recent retirement of Chelsea Hodges, who was the using hero of the Australian team that won the gold medal in Tokyo.
Abbey Harkin (1:07.59) was second quickest with teenager Ella Ramsay third after she qualified for Paris in the 200m individual medley the previous night.
AGE SHALL NOT STOP MCEVOY GOING FOR GOLD IN BRISBANE
– Todd Balym
Cameron McEvoy wants to create history and become the oldest man to ever win an individual Olympic swimming gold medal – at his home Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.
Such has been the physical and mental transformative process of McEvoy’s training regimen that the 50m freestyle world champion has not just emerged from what he calls a “seven year slump” post Rio, but he’s come out the other side optimistic about “doubling” his career.
Gone are the long slog days of endless laps of a pool, instead McEvoy has rebuilt his physique and revolutionised sprint freestyle with a power-based dryland training program adapted after he studied the way Usain Bolt and track sprinters train their bodies for optimal speed.
The enjoyment of the training, combined with the reduced wear and tear on his body, has McEvoy confident his quest to qualify for a fourth Olympic Games at the trials this week in Brisbane is not a last hurrah, but rather a midpoint of a remarkable career.
“If I wasn’t doing this (style of training) I would’ve retired after Tokyo,” McEvoy said.
“As long as the motivation is there I can see myself attacking Brisbane 2032.
“It has doubled my career, I’ve been to three Olympics and this could keep me going for another 3 or 4 (Olympics).
“I could swim on to Brisbane 2032, it’s not like (Paris) is my last hurrah type of thing.”
American Anthony Ervin shocked the world when he won the Olympic 50m freestyle gold medal in Rio aged 35. He remains the sport’s oldest individual Olympic gold medallist.
McEvoy knows that stat, which is partly fuelling his talk of Brisbane.
“He was 35. I will be 30 in Paris, I will be 34 in LA (Los Angeles). I’m not older than him until Brisbane, which is again why I am thinking about it,” he said.
In immediate focus, however, is the 50m freestyle at the Australian selection trials starting in Brisbane on Wednesday.
McEvoy’s best time of 21.06 seconds puts him head and shoulders ahead of the field, but with the likes of Isaac Cooper (21.65s) and Thomas Nowakowski (21.81s) capable of going sub 22-second swims he knows nothing is for certain.
Part of McEvoy’s meticulous planning is to somehow manage to conserve some energy from heats to finals and while he would dearly love to join the illustrious sub 21-second club he knows he cannot be fixated on times when first hand on the wall is what matters most at trials and the Olympics in Paris.
“One day in my life I would love to go 20-point,” he said.
“If I can produce even a 21.1, it doesn’t guarantee me a gold medal (in Paris) or even a medal.”
LARKIN WITHIN SIGHT OF UNTHINKABLE OLYMPIC COMEBACK
– Todd Balym
Told he may never race again or even lift up his own children, Mitch Larkin is refusing to let his remarkable comeback from what should have been a career-ending shoulder injury be defined by selection on the Olympic Games team.
Larkin, 30, is gunning to become the first Australian male swimmer to be chosen on a fourth Olympic team as he contests the trials in Brisbane, starting with the 100m backstroke on Tuesday.
He is not the only man chasing history. Last year’s 50m freestyle world champion Cameron McEvoy is hunting the same claim to fame, albeit without the horrendous injury ordeal that put Larkin’s future in jeopardy just two years ago.
Larkin tore the subscapulars, the largest muscle in the rotator cuff of his shoulder, off the bone one week before the 2022 Commonwealth Games trials yet still made the team and competed for Australia in Birmingham.
By the end of those Games he was unable to lift his arm to be part of the team huddle and flew home for a full reconstruction and reattachment surgery a week later.
It was then he was advised to give swimming away.
“(The doctor) said to me, ‘forget swimming, put that aside’,” Larkin said.
“He said, ‘Do you want to have kids and do you want to lift them over your head one day? Because if you don’t get this fixed now you won’t have a functioning shoulder ever again’.
“He said you may never race again but sometimes there are bigger things than swimming.”
Larkin spent 15 weeks in a sling and by Christmas 2022 he defied the experts to go for a casual swim at the beach.
It was then he knew his path back to competitive swimming was going to be difficult, such was his complete lack of range and power.
Even now, almost two years since his operation, he does not have the full range of movement back and has been forced to give up medley swimming because he has no power in his breaststroke.
Larkin doesn’t have full movement for backstroke but he’s done enough work to know that coming into the trials he could deliver a swim worthy of selection in either the 100m or 200m backstroke.
“I wouldn’t be swimming if I wasn’t (confident of making the team),” he said.
Will the comeback be all for nothing if he isn’t selected?
“If you asked me four or five years ago I would have been (devastated),’’ he said.
“That is my identity, I am a swimmer.
“But this whole journey, I now work part-time (in funds management) as well, has given me a broader perspective on life and swimming in general and I’m loving it. If I make it I will be over the moon.
“If I don’t I will be disappointed but I’m not going to let that define my swimming career.”
Paralympics’ spectacular end shows Brisbane what’s possible
Australia’s Paralympians have been partying like there’s no tomorrow after the curtain came down on a spectacular Paris Games that have given a rude wake-up call to Brisbane’s 2032 organisers.
Aussie star’s tragic news at Paralympics
Australia’s Paralympic flag-bearer nearly withdrew from this year’s Games after learning of a devastating death in her family.