Marieke Guehrer and Leiston Pickett lead Women’s heats – Australian Short Course Championships
Marieke Guehrer and Leiston Pickett dominated the Women’s preliminary rounds on the opening day of the 2011 Australian Short Course Championships. The session included the events of Women’s 50m butterfly, 100m breast-stroke, 100m freestyle and the 200m back-stroke.
The session started with the Women’s 50m butterfly, where Melbourne Vicent’s Guehrer qualified as the fastest swimmer into the finals, by touching the wall in 26.06 seconds. Her impeccable swim placed her 0.41 seconds ahead of her following swimmer, Yolane
Kukla of St Peters, who reached the finishing wall as the second fastest swimmer, in a time of 26.47 seconds. Similarly, Kukla edged out her strongest rival, Alice Mills, who posted a third fastest qualification time of 26.54 seconds.
Next was the 100m breast-stroke event, where South Port’s Pickett proved her eligibility for the fastest qualification spot, by touching the wall in a top qualification time of 1 minute and 06.33 seconds. She was followed by her national team-member, Leisel
Jones of Nunawading, who emerged as the second fastest swimmer of the race, by producing a time of 1 minute and 06.94 seconds. Aisling Cooney of Brothers followed them into the finals as the third fastest swimmer, by touching the wall in 1 minute and 07.28
seconds.
The third event of the session was the 100m freestyle, where Jessie Morrison of Melbourne captured the fastest qualification seat in the final, by completing her swim in a top fastest time of 54.03 seconds. She was followed by Guehrer and Kelly Stubbins
of Haileybury, who followed her on the finishing wall as the second and third fastest swimmers, by reporting in a time of 54.15 and 54.21 seconds.
Moments later, Mikka Sheridan won the heat of 200m back-stroke, by clocking a time of 2 minutes and 07.46 seconds. Caitlin Mitchell and Jenni O’Neil followed her on the finishing wall as the second and third fastest swimmers, with timings of 2:09.56 and
2:09.63 minutes, respectively.
The participants will compete with each other in the final rounds of same events, where the top three swimmers will be awarded medals and accolades.
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