Australian Swimming Trials - Day 5 Heats Wrap

BEN Hance (pictured) has set the scene for a cracking night of finals after setting a world record in the men’s 100m backstroke multi-class this morning at the SA Aquatic & Leisure Centre.

Hance cruised past the field to hit the wall in a world best time of 56.35, breaking his old mark (56.52).

Training under Ash Delany at St Andrew’s, the 24-year-old has been in top shape setting PB’s and a VIRTUS world record of 26.09 in the 50m backstroke on Day 3 (VIRTUS Games is an international competition for intellectually impaired athletes, this event is not a para swimming event).

In Paris, Hance sat on the lane rope pointing to the sky to pay tribute to his late dad after he became the first man to successfully defend the 100m backstroke (S14) Paralympic title … but this morning confessed he had ‘cooled his jets’.

“I didn’t know that I was going to do that (set a world record), I was holding back a bit,” Hance said.

“Tonight will probably be something similar.”

Hance is set to headline the Australian Para Dolphins team announcement on pool deck tonight along with Paralympic champions Alexa Leary, Brenden Hall and Tim Hodge and the only rookie of the night, 17-year-old Declan Budd.

Women’s 200m Breast:
Sport is nothing without rivalries.

And Ella Ramsay and Tara Kinder are shaping up for a four-year tussle into the LA Games.

At this week’s Australian Trials, the pair has gone head-to-head and tonight are back in the water again for the 200m breaststroke.

Twenty-year-old Ramsay qualified first (2:25.55) with 22-year-old Kinder having to make up a second (2:26.59) to keep pace with the Paris Olympian.

Men’s 1500m Freestyle:
In the men’s 1500m freestyle, open water specialists Kyle Lee, Nick Sloman and Tommy Raymond line up against national champion Ben Goedemans, who last month went under 15-minutes for the first time, and now boasts the fasted seed time (14:57.75). Goedemans has already booked his ticket for Singapore after shocking himself to finish second behind Sam Short in the 800m freestyle. Short will go into tonight’s final as the red-hot favourite.

Men’s 200m Breaststroke:
Zac Stubblety-Cook advanced to the final almost three seconds ahead of Bailey Lello (2:12.57). Stubblety-Cook, the Paris silver medallist and Tokyo gold medallist, was the fastest to the wall in 2:09.52 – and tonight is his last chance to secure his spot for Singapore. Also vying for selection is Olympian Josh Yong (2:14.21).

BREAKOUT: LA SPRINT STORY STARTS WITH A BLUEPRINT
THE length of the Sydney Opera House.

Three-fifths the height of the Singapore Flyer.

And the distance Australia’s premier sprinters must cover tonight to claim the coveted – but limited – two spots available to contest the 100m freestyle at the World Championships in Singapore next month.

Rackley’s Meg Harris touched in 53.01 to qualify fastest but has withdrawn from tonight’s final to focus on the event in which she won her Olympic silver medal – the 50m freestyle.

Mollie O’Callaghan will now start as fastest and favourite.

O’Callaghan clocked 53.39 to also go under qualifying – all those lining up on the blocks tonight at SA Aquatic & Leisure Centre went under qualifying time.
Australia’s 100m sprint stocks have been world-leading for the past two Olympic cycles but head coach Rohan Taylor said tonight’s field “marked a changing of the guard”.

With no Campbells or Emma McKeon, 19-year-old Olivia Wunsch, 18-year-old Milla Jansen and 19-year-old Hannah Casey may see this as their time to shine and will be looking to poach a spot.

“This is the first year of four-year cycle with our eyes firmly on the LA Olympics. There’s experience with Mollie and Meg, Olivia Wunsch has a Games under her belt, you can’t write off Shayna Jack, Alex Perkins has had a fabulous meet, and then there’s the next generation in Milla Jansen, Hannah Casey and Abbey Webb,” Taylor said.

“Tonight’s 100m is the start of a blueprint that will shape this event for LA.”

This morning’s heat could also be the last time we see journeywoman Leah Neale race for a Dolphins cap.

The 29-year-old has been a Dolphins stalwart and as recently as the 2024 Budapest World Short Course Championships added a bronze to her trophy cabinet that also includes two Olympic medals from the 2016 and 2020 Olympics.