World record for Kelly on SC Day 3 finals

RECORDS, rumbles and redemption all featured on Night 3 Finals of the Australian Short Course Championships at South Australia’s Aquatic and Leisure Centre.

It was four-time Paralympian Ahmed Kelly (pictured) that claimed the second world record of the meet, clocking 2:55.06 and breaking the old mark – which was also his – by 0.05 in the SM3 150m IM multi-class.

The Iraqi-born Australian, otherwise affectionally known as Liquid Nails, was racing the clock in an otherwise empty pool from lane four to claim the record and hearts of a meet which has delivered slick times.

Kelly, who was born in a Baghdad orphanage in 1991 without functioning arms and legs, a result of chemical weapons used during the Gulf War, showed the professionalism that delivered him a silver medal in Paris.

Forty-five minutes later, a rumble broke out with the volunteer basket handlers ahead of event 46… the women’s 50m backstroke.

Hot commodity was the basket for lane four. Starting in lane four, K. McKeown. World record holder. Olympic gold medallist. One of the hardest trainers in Australia’s Olympic program and Miss Congeniality of the kids.

Just 25.40 seconds later, the crowd – and basket handler Benji, 12, who had turned down a bribe of hot chips for the honour post – was rewarded with an Australian record and a big smile from McKeown.

McKeown said: “I think the last time I did Short Course was in 2022 for the World Champs … looking back now, I was not an athlete with a great mindset. I was really struggling with my self-confidence.”

“I haven’t been training a whole lot, so I didn’t have any expectation on myself, but I have really enjoyed this meet – I may pull up sore tomorrow though!”

And a determined Leah Neale proved she was neither broken or fragile unleashing her best performance in more than two years in the 400m freestyle in a time that was 30 seconds under the qualifying mark for World Short Course Championships in Budapest.

Neale, 29, a dual Olympian boasting medals from Rio and Tokyo, missed selection for Paris and after a change of coach and program, has put herself back in front Australian selectors.

“I’ve had such a great meet. It’s taken a while to get back to this point and I couldn’t be more proud of myself putting that together, I am still churning, still wanting more, but I’m really stoked with that because that just validates the whole decision of what I decided,” she said.

“I thought I was done after Olympic trials but I just couldn’t finish on that kind of note and I really wanted to prove to myself that I’m not actually broken, that I just needed something right. And I think I found that right thing again.

“I honestly thought after trials I was retiring. I had four weeks out of the pool, and then someone was like, why don’t you just trial short course and see what happens, and from that point on, I just haven’t really looked back.”

In other finals:

• Olympic medallist Matt Temple claimed his first win of the national meet in his pet event, the men’s 100m butterfly. Temple’s time of 50.04 is under the qualifying time and he is a strong chance for World Short Course Championships Budapest but with only 24 athletes selected and a growing pool of qualifiers, Swimming Australia will have to look at world rankings for selection.
• Ella Jones, from Central Coast club the Kincumber Pacific Dolphins, and Taylor Corry (29) backed up in their stacked program with third and second place respectively in the women’s 100m freestyle multi-class. Taking out the top spot, based on points, was 16-year-old Vicki Nicholson Belando from Yeronga Park.
• Good mates Alex Perkins and Lily Price swum under the qualifying time to top the podium in the women’s 100m butterfly. Perkins touched in first at 55.45, followed closely by rising star Price at 55.57. Bella Grant secured the final spot on the podium with a time of 56.59.
• Declan Budd added another gold, this time for the men’s 100m freestyle multi-class. Based on points, Budd was joined by Darren Sisman and Bailey Stewart on the podium who placed second and third respectively.

Picture: Ahmed Kelly on the blocks for his 150m IM heat, Day 3 (David Mariuz)