Tamsin Cook Wins Junior World Championship Title
Western Australian Institute of Sport swimmer Tamsin Cook has set a new championship record with her opening leg swim of the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay final in which Australia won gold at the 2015 Junior Swimming Championships in Singapore.
The 16 year-old had pulled Australia from fourth position and at risk of missing the final through to a heat victory earlier in the opening day of competition and the Michael Palfrey coached athlete went one better in the medal round, to swim the opening leg of the final, breaking the championship record with a time of 1:58.16 in the process.
Cook handed to teammate Lucy McJannett (1:59.68) before Shayna Jack (1:59.76) maintained the lead with 15-year-old Gemma Cooney (1:59.08) tasked with the anchor leg.
The Australians won in 7:56.68 ahead of Canada and Russia.
Cook becomes the third WAIS athlete to win a junior world championship title in the past week, joining track cyclist Alex Rendell and laser radial sailor Conor Nicholas.
Significantly, Cook’s time in the opening leg, would’ve been fast enough for the fourth fastest time at this year’s Australian Swimming Championships which saw an Australian team formed for the recent FINA World Championships in Russia, where Australia won the senior women’s 4x200m freestyle world title.
Cook will be back in action on day two of competition in Singapore, swimming in the women’s 200m butterfly.
Fellow WAIS scholarship holder Damian Fyfe contested the men’s 400m freestyle on day one, posting the 16th fastest time, which was short of the top eight, required to progress to the final.
Fyfe will swim in the men’s’ 100m butterfly on day two of competition.