Emma McKeon eyes 100m freestyle tilt at world championships

Emma McKeon will stretch her wings even further at the world championships trials starting in Brisbane tomorrow.

Emma McKeon and Dane Bird Smith on the Brisbane Citycat this week. Picture: Jack Tran

With four Olympic gold medals on debut last year, Emma McKeon has already proven her versatility, but she will stretch her wings even further at the world championships trials starting in Brisbane tomorrow.

McKeon was Australia’s busiest and most decorated athlete in Rio but she has yet to reveal all her talents at international level.

The continued excellence of the world-beating sisters Cate and Bronte Campbell in the 100m freestyle has blocked McKeon’s bid to represent Australia in that event since the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014. But the sisters’ monopoly is about to end.

World record-holder Cate has decided to skip this year’s world championships after nine years on the national team, which creates an opportunity for someone new to shine. McKeon seems the swimmer most likely to take ­advantage of that opening. Her best time of 52.80sec would have been good enough for the bronze medal at last year’s Olympics.

“It would be nice to be able to swim the 100m freestyle because I’ve never swum it on the world stage, just at Commonwealth Games (where she won the bronze medal),’’ McKeon said yesterday.

“I still train for that as much as the other events (the 200m freestyle and 100m butterfly), just ­because of the relay. It’s a strong relay and I want to keep being a part of that and keep it as a strong team, so I put just as much work into my 100 free as my other events.’’

The blue riband sprint will be held on the opening day of the shortened championships program this year, giving the multi-talented McKeon a rare chance to swim the event while fresh.

She set her personal best of 52.80sec at last year’s Olympic trials in her ninth race of the week, having already swum three 100m butterfly races, three 200m freestyle races and the 100m preliminaries.

She also wants to step up to help the celebrated Australian 4x100m freestyle team maintain their international superiority after victories at both the Rio Olympics and the 2015 world championships.

McKeon believes the relay team can win at the world titles in Budapest in July even without their spiritual leader Campbell.

“Our whole 100 freestyle field here in Australia is really strong,’’ she said.

“Our whole final last year was very quick so I think whoever gets on to that team can keep ­improving.”

She will also take the chance to test out the 200m butterfly in Brisbane, an event she has ­dabbled in lately and for which she seems to have considerable potential.

“I won’t be doing it at worlds because it’s the same day as the 200 freestyle, which is my main event, but I enjoy doing the 200 fly,’’ she said.

“I’ve never done a rested 200 fly before so it will be nice to see how I go.”

World 100m freestyle champion Bronte Campbell is also going into the trials in a positive frame of mind after finding some relief from the painful injury to her left shoulder that compromised her Olympic campaign.

Campbell said her preparation for this meet was “significantly better’’ than it was last year when she clocked 52.58sec despite a ­recent flare-up of pain.

“It’s really nice to finish ­sessions and finish weeks, and then put a week on top of a week, without having to cut the sessions early or any sort of compromise,’’ she said.

“Finding a way to race fast and pain free is my goal for this year. It would be nice to defend (the world title) but I’m not really chasing it.”

Other finals on the first night of the trials include the men’s 50m freestyle (Cameron McEvoy), men’s 400m freestyle (Mack Horton), women’s 800m freestyle (Jess Ashwood) and men’s 200m backstroke (Mitch Larkin).