Day 4 Finals: No backing off for teen sensation at Aussie Age

TEEN sensation Macey Sheridan (pictured) started off her 2024 Australian Age Championship campaign on the Gold Coast to the same golden tune of her breakout meet last year.

Unstoppable.

Sheridan, who won six gold medals at the same meet in 2023, started her nationals’ campaign with a win in the 14 years 200m backstroke after a last lap flourish saw her claim victory in 2:18.80.

The Darwin product, coached by Tim Few, was happy to sit with the field until lifting her stroke rate in the final 25m, catching SOPAC’s Heidi Schumack (silver, 2:19.46) and Brisbane Grammar’s Eloise McLellan (bronze, 2:20.54).

Just 10 athletes made the trip down from the Top End and Sheridan could easily sweep all the backstroke titles for her age group but not before backing up to win a 50m freestyle gold.

Lining up in Lane Four, Sheridan (26.36) was the first Australian to touch first in the 14 years 50m freestyle after New Zealand’s Alyssa Lawson stopped the clock at 26.17. Griffith University’s Maya Zunker finished third (26.45).

In one of the closest finishes of the night, breaststrokers Hayley MacKinder (Griffith University) and Julia Remington (All Saints) went stroke for stroke before Remington stole the chocolates in 2:29.13 with MacKinder finishing in 2:30.31. Ella Mounter (NuSwim, 2:33.30) won bronze.

It was a reverse of the 100m breaststroke in which MacKinder, coached by dual Olympian Tommy Fraser-Holmes, won gold and Remington silver.

A world-class field hit the water in the Boys 18 years 200m individual medley as Karl Albertyn (Miami) and Josh Kerr (Manly) – teammates from World Junior Championships in Israel last year – took out gold and silver respectively.

Albertyn, the defending champion, and Kerr flirted with the elusive two-minute barrier before finishing in 2:01.37 and  2:02.49.

Swimmers are vying not only for titles but also for potential selection on the Junior Dolphins’ squad for the 2024 Junior Pan Pacific Championships.

Athletes can clock qualifying times at either this competition or the Australian Open Championships from April 17th-April 20th.

In other results:

• Girls 17 years 200m IM: Age group IM star Taryn Roberts (Rocky City) caught fast-starting World Junior backstroke champion Jaclyn Barclay (St Peters Western) to win gold in 2:19.32 with Alannah Torrance (MLC Aquatic, 2:19.70) second and Barclay third.
• Boys 14 years 50m freestyle: Knox Pymble’s Ethan Haegebaert (23.66) was too quick for Churchie’s Maxwell Cunningham (23.79) and Lukas Dunn, son of three-time Olympian Matt (23.87).
•  Boys 14 years 200m butterfly: Gold Coaster Leny Grigor (Somerset) backed up his outstanding Queensland State Championships with a class time of 2:05.16, a big PB. Fellow Gold Coaster Julian Angus (TSS Aquatic) finished second 2:07.03 and Isaac Wearing third (2:08.48).
• Boys 16-18 years 800m freestyle: Johann Szymanski (Highlanders) took the 18 years title (8:08.86) while the big mover in men’s freestyle ranks and WA teammate of Szymanski – Tex Cross – won the 17 years (8:06.55). Cross’s time puts him in the frame for Junior Pan Pac selection.

> Day 5 heats start 9am Wednesday

> Live results can be found: https://liveresults.swimming.org.au/sal/2024Age/

> Don’t miss the Australian Age Championships live and free on 9NOW