Leiston Pickett pockets Women’s 50m breaststroke gold – EnergyAustralia Swimming Championships
Leiston Pickett of Southport Olympic Swimming Club pocketed gold medal of the Women’s 50m breaststroke on eighth day of the 2012 EnergyAustralia Swimming Championships at the South Australia Aquatic and Leisure Centre in Adelaide on Thursday, March 22.
The 20-year-old Pickett, who qualified into the playoff as top contender for gold medal, lived up to the expectations of her supporters by seizing gold medal of the event with the timing of 30.68.
Her immaculate effort remained 0.88 seconds slower from the world record of 29.80 seconds, set by USA’s Jessica Hardy in 2009. She was also 0.52 seconds behind the national record of 30.16 seconds, made by Sarah Katsoulis in 2009.
Her scintillating effort remained 0.60 seconds ahead of Katsoulis of Nunawading, who proved her eligibility for silver medal of the discipline by clocking a time of 31.28 seconds. She was followed by Lorna Tonks of Redcliffe League, who was only 0.28 seconds
behind and settled on the finishing wall as third fastest swimmer by producing an effort of 31.56 seconds.
The 23-year-old Tonks was trailed by Samantha Marshall of Melbourne and Libby Forbes of Nunawading, who tried hard to surpass each other over the finishing wall for fourth best spot but failed to do so.
Marshall and Forbes remained almost one second slower from their former finisher and ended their sprints with an identical effort of 32.35 seconds for fourth position.
In the meantime, the crowd witnessed a wonderful effort of Norwood’s Amelia Dahlitz, who stayed 0.25 seconds behind the duo of her former finishers and posted 32.60 seconds for sixth position.
Linley Frame of Melbourne stayed just 0.09 seconds behind Dahlitz and tapped the finishing end with an effort of 32.69 seconds for seventh position. The 40-year-old Frame was only 0.11 seconds ahead of Taylor McKeown of Australian Crawl, who settled as eighth
fastest swimmer of the discipline by submitting a time of 32.80 seconds.
The championship ended after the completion of all swimming events. Furthermore, the position holders received medals for their undisputed efforts at prize distribution ceremony while the crowd acknowledged astounding swims of all participants in their exclusive
events.
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