Barratt Adds 50m Backstroke Title to Breakout #AusChamps17 Campaign

Holly Barratt has added a national title in the 50m backstroke to continue a breakout Australian Championship campaign for the 29 year-old.

 

A day after securing a first senior national team berth by virtue of a silver medal effort in the 100m back final, the Rockingham Swimming Club member went one better for gold in the one lap event, touching home ahead of multiple Olympic medallist Emily Seebohm.

All the talk leading into Tuesday night’s finals had been centred on the late emergence of the physiology graduate and she showed it was no one off, adding a national crown in the 50m backstroke to end Seebohm’s five year dominance of the event, before minutes later, taking silver in the 50m fly behind Brittany Elmslie to potentially secure three individual swims in Budapest.

Having secured a spot on the Australian Dolphins team on Monday night for July’s FINA titles, Barratt admitted the result had come as a shock.

“I definitely wasn’t expecting that result; coming into the meet ranked about sixth, I thought I might be able to jump up to fourth,” said Barratt.

  

“I would have been happy with that, I’m focusing on my times more than anything and I was happy with my time, it was a little PB, but I definitely wasn’t expecting (to make the team) it is very exciting.”Barratt was joined in podium success by backstroke swimmer Zac Incerti and Rockingham Swim Club teammate Tommy Sucipto in the breaststroke.

Incerti gave a strong showing of his future potential, by pushing Rio Olympic silver medallist Mitch Larkin all the way to the wall in the final of the men’s 100m back for a silver medal.

Larkin’s 53.54sec was off qualification pace but was good enough to edge Incerti who was second home in 53.95.

 

  

Tommy Sucipto earned a bronze medal in the men’s 100m breast final, with the 22 year-old finishing behind the highly talented 18 year-old pairing of national champion Danial Cave and men’s 200m champion Matthew Wilson.

  

Cave’s time of 1:00.45min couldn’t earn him an individual spot on the team for Budapest, with the A-Qualifying mark at 59.75. Western Australian George Harley finished in fourth place.

  

Brianna Throssell was eighth in the final of the women’s 200m freestyle setting a time of 1:59.85. Gold went to Emma McKeon in 1:55.68, with 16 year-old Ariarne Titmus and Kotuku Ngawati (22) rounding out the podium.

  

Katherine Downie earned 696 points (1:10.64) for eighth place in the final of the women’s 100m fly MC, which was won by Abigail Lihou on 956 points (1:07.20).