Second session of the 2011 Telstra Australian Swimming Championships: Day three - Swimming News
The second session on the third day of the 2011 Telstra Australian Swimming Championship concluded in Sydney, with the finals and semi-finals of some events. The winners of each event at the championship will be awarded with berths for the 2011 World Championships
in Shanghai, this July.
The day started with the Men’s 200m freestyle final, where Australia’s Thomas Fraser Holmes conquered the gold medal in a personal best time of 1:47.19 minutes. Fraser Holmes finished his race slightly earlier than Kenrick Monk, who clocked a time of 1:47.53
minutes for the silver medal.
Monk posted a time under the FINA qualification standard, but he will only be able to represent Australia in the 4*100m freestyle relay in China, due to the strict policy of Australian head coach, Leigh Nugent. Nugent announced before the championship that
he would take only those swimmers to Shanghai, who will clock a time less than the world’s top 12 swimmers.
In the Women’s 100m back-stroke final, Belinda Hocking won the gold medal and qualified for China in a time of 59.55 seconds. Hocking stunned the arena with her gruelling effort of less than one minute and ousted the defending champion, Emily Seebohm, who
won the silver medal in 1:00.08 minutes and booked her place to China. Meagen Nay occupied the bronze medal in a time of 1:00.51 minutes.
In the Men’s 50m breast-stroke semi-final, Chris Sprenger was sighted as the fastest swimmer into the finals with a timing of 28.33 seconds, ahead of the Karl Wurzer and Brenton Rickard, who reported in 28.66 and 28.69 seconds, respectively.
In the Women’s 1500m freestyle final, Melissa Gorman secured the gold medal in 16:06.98 minutes and was followed by Jessica Ashwood and Bonny MacDonald in a time of 16:14.47 and 16:16.58 minutes, respectively.
Benjamin Treffers earned the crown for the Men’s 100m back-stroke final by eliminating the defending champion, Hayden Stoeckel, in a time of 53.72 seconds against Stoeckel’s 53.87 seconds. Ashley Delaney reserved his third spot on the podium with an outstanding
effort of 54.17 seconds.
In the Women’s 200m freestyle semi-final, Angie Bainbridge qualified into the final as the fastest swimmer in 1:57.43 minutes ahead of Bronte Barratt and Kylie Palmer, who touched the finishing wall in 1:57.54 and 1:57.56 minutes, respectively.
The last event of the day was the Women’s 100m breast-stroke final, where legendary Australian breast-stroke champion, Leisel Jones, defended her title by clocking a time of 1:06.18 minutes to secure the gold medal. Jones was comfortably ahead of Sarah Katsoulis
and Leiston Pickett, who reached the podium for the silver and bronze medals in 1:07.24 and 1:07.32 minutes, respectively.
The championship will conclude on April 8 with the completion of the Australian swimming team to compete in Shanghai.
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