Kukla Wins Age National Swimming Title
WAIS athlete and London Olympic gold medallist Yolane Kukla has taken gold in the girl’s 17/18 years 50m freestyle on the opening night of the 2013 Georgina Hope Swimmers Foundation Australian Age Championships in Adelaide.
The Commonwealth Games gold medallist, and a heat swimmer in last year’s Olympic 4x100m freestyle relay gold, hit the wall in an impressive time of 25.14, just a touch ahead of Southport’s Alexandra Purcell (25.21) and West Illawarra sprinter Emma McKeon (25.25).
The boy’s 17/18 years 50m freestyle was an equally close race with Southport’s Luke Percy swimming a personal best to finish in 22.24. Shaving 0.02 of a second off the winning time of Cameron McEvoy in the same event last year, Percy took gold over training partner Blake Jones (22.75) and Victorian Alexander Graham (22.81).
The first record of the meet went to Victorian Nicholas Groenewald who followed up from his six individual gold medals at last year’s Australian Age Championships, to take nearly a second off the previous best boy’s 15 years 200m backstroke time.
In a race where the gold, silver and bronze medallist were all under the previous best of 2:03.27 set by Olympian Mitch Larkin in 2009, Groenewald finished in 2:02.54 with City of Perth’s Damian Fyfe taking silver in 2:02.68 and Tristan Ludlow from Queensland picking up bronze in 2:02.77.
Surrey Park’s Sian Whittaker swam a new personal best in the girl’s 15 years 200m backstroke final, taking the title in convincing fashion, over five seconds clear of the rest of the field in 2:12.11.
The real race was between silver and bronze medallists Jessica Unicomb (2:17.33) and Germany’s Rabea Tenetos (2:17.34) who finished just 0.01 of a second apart with Unicomb securing silver in the touch. Zoe Lysaght will also take home a bronze in a time of 2:17.68.
South Australian local Kyle Chalmers continued the record breaking only minutes later picking up his first gold of the meet and dipping under the 55 second mark in the boy’s 14 years 100m butterfly. The Marion swimmer won by almost three seconds in a strong time of 54.79 with Jacob Sedgman (57.52) and Luke Zille (58.13) rounding out the medals.
In the corresponding girl’s event, Victorian Stephanie Whan was too strong for defending champion Lucia Lassman (1:01.18) in the girl’s 14 years 100m butterfly. Whan hit the wall in 1:00.61 to take the 2013 title from Lassman and fellow Victorian Mikaela Cornelissen in 1:01.99.
With more than 1400 athletes in town to compete over the ten days of completion, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation Leon Bignell said he was pleased to welcome swimmers to South Australia at tonight’s opening ceremony.
“We are delighted to host the nation’s young stars of the pool as they compete to be named Australian age champion,” Mr Bignell said.
“I’m particularly pleased that our state is represented by 80 swimmers, the highest number from South Australia since the 2009 event.”
The Georgina Hope Swimmers Foundation Australian Age Championships will be held at the SA Aquatic & Leisure Centre concluding on Monday 15 April.
For full results go to www.swimming.org.au
– Swimming Australia