Aus Age Champs: Distance prodigy rewrites the books on Day 2

Perkins. Horton. Short.

Lincoln Wearing (pictured) has been rewriting the record books of age group distance swimming and tonight he had to rewrite himself.

The 16-year-old continued his record-breaking demolition of distance records to clock 7:56.04 for the boys’ 16 years 800m freestyle at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre to break his own national record.

It was a performance that saw National Youth Coach Simon Cusack stand and applaud.

In December, racing in the final of his age category of the 800m freestyle, Wearing (Chandler) ripped a monster lifetime best of 7:56.80 to grab the gold.

It was the first time he had swum under eight minutes.

Tonight – at the Australian Age Championships – was the second.

He was the decisive victor with Singapore’s Russel Pang (8:04.70) touching second but Chandler’s Jesse Hamilton (silver) and Wearing’s twin brother Isaac (bronze) were also awarded medals as the next best placed Australian finishers.

“I just wanted to give myself the best chance of making the Junior Pan Pac team …  I learnt so much at the National Event Camp a few months ago and it really has got me fit for this meet,” he said.

Twelve months ago, Lincoln won this race as a 15-year-old to break Mack Horton’s 15-years 800m record from 2011. He then went on to win the 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m free and the 200m back.

Coached by Tsuyoshi Kimura, Wearing is in ominous form. In all, 11 qualifying swims for the Junior Pan Pacific Championships were recorded on Night 2 finals, and two national age records.

Dolphin Sienna Toohey (Albury) perfectly executed her backup plan by claiming gold in a Junior Pan Pacific qualifying time of 1:06.43 – and all-comers record in the girls’ 17-years 100m butterfly.

Toohey, 17, will contest the Commonwealth Games Trials in June and also has Pan Pacific Championships on her international dance card.

She had entered this meet “to have fun” as well as make sure her Dolphins’ passport was stamped after making her senior debut at the World Championships in Singapore last year.

Rocky City’s Amelie Smith touched second (1:08.65) to also put herself in the frame for multiple events in Vancouver later this year.

Smith smashed out a 4:15.55 to come home over the top of Ava Gaske (Chandler) in the women’s 400m free to remind selectors of her versatility.

Quinn Richards became the first 14-year-old Australian to go under 1minute-4secs in the 100m breaststroke.

Richards from Camberwell Grammar smashed the existing national age record of 1:04.21 (set by Koa Stotz) with a new national-best time of 1:03.65. Raphael Taewoo Oh from Knox Pymble placed second (1:05.12), followed by Levi Anderson in third (Somerset GC – 1:05.79).

And many happy returns to Lucy Ma (MLC Aquatic) who celebrated her 15^th birthday with a golden two-second PB in the women’s 14-year-old 100m backstroke.

Ma, a standout performer in her age group, is known more for her freestyle than her backstroke but hit the wall in 1:04.44 to claim her second gold of the meet.

In other results:

Girls’ 18yr 100m Breaststroke: Training under decorated coach Mel Marshall, Hayley Mackinder is a rapidly rising name amongst Griffith’s rich breaststroke stocks and tonight the Junior Dolphin successfully defended her 100m breaststroke national title. Mackinder claimed gold in 1:09.23 ahead of Cruiz athlete Ava Rollason in second (1:10.34) and NUSwim’s Ella Mounter in third (1:11.04).

Boys’ 17yr 200m Freestyle: Henry Allan – who opened up the meet smashing Mitch Larkin‘s 200m backstroke national age record – claimed his second national title in two days. Allan stopped the clock at 1:48.80 and was the only finalist to go under the 1minute 50s mark. The next best was Brisbane Jets’ Charlie Austin in second (1:50.01), followed by Oliver McCormack in third (Vicentre – 1:51.57).

Boys’ 18y 200m Freestyle: It was anyone’s race at the final turn in the 18-year boys’ 200m freestyle, especially between WA’s Lucas Fackerell and local boys Tomo Shadforth (Miami) and Campbell Wilson-Moran (Bond). Shadforth hit the wall first in 1:50.05 followed closely by Fackerell (1:50.13) and Wilson-Moran who picked up the bronze (1:50.19).

Girls’ 16y 200m Butterfly: SOPACS’s Heidi Shumack smashed out a 2:13.17 to win the 16-year girls’ 200m fly by almost four seconds. Brisbane Grammar clubmates Siena Gibson (2:16.64) and Madeline Field (2:16.73) finished second and third respectively.

See full results here