McKeown and Pallister light up Swim GP opening night

Olympic gold medallists Kaylee McKeown (Team Tsunami) and Lani Pallister (Team KingTide) lit up the opening night of the new Swim GP series in Melbourne Friday evening, with McKeown making a welcome return to the pool and Pallister producing a commanding win.

A packed crowd got its first look at a format built for fans, with Team Wahoo leading the ladder on 105 points ahead of Kraken (94), Tsunami (77) and KingTide (63).

Pallister was in a class of her own in the Women’s 400m Freestyle Checkpoint, setting a blistering pace that bodes well with the World Short Course Championships just two weeks away, where she will defend her world title.

McKeown, who returned to the pool after missing the Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacific Championships earlier this year, won the Women’s 50 Metre Backstroke Elimination Skins event in a thrilling final showdown against Wahoo’s Iona Anderson.

Ben Armbruster (Team Wahoo) brought the energy in the Men’s 25m Freestyle, taking the win and following it with the kind of animated celebration fans have come to expect from him.

The Swim GP format delivered some exciting new forms of racing, including Mixed 100 Freestyle Multi-Class, that saw Jasmin Fullgrabe (Team Kraken) take a thrilling win.

• Lani Pallister said post race: “We are all such competitive people and we all want to win but it’s good for us at this point in the season to get up and race against the people we are going to try to beat on teams while also building up camaraderie. There are a lot of junior kids coming up [through the ranks] that we don’t always get to be on teams with so trying to get amongst them knowing they have World Junior Championships… and chasing their dreams to be a Dolphin is exciting for every one.”
• Kaylee McKeown said on her comeback: “It’s hard to come into these races having not raced all year and my body just hasn’t recovered as quickly as it could. It’s taken me a long time to build back and I’ve just got to build back to where I was which is even more of a gap. I’m just glad it [illness] happened this year and not next year when it counts.”
• Ben Armbruster said on Swim GP: “It’s so much fun… it’s a different way to race with the crowd here, different set up, everyone is just enjoying it. The energy is great and you can feel everyone getting around you.”
• Jasmin Fullgrabe said on Swim GP: “That was really fun. And to do something a little less serious then our Trials or Nationals, really brings life back to the pool and reminds you why you train nine times a week. To see Para athletes included this time round is super special.”

The battle continues tomorrow night at a sold out Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre for the final session of Swim GP, live and free on Channel 9 and 9Now from 7.30pm AEDT.

For more event information, visit: www.swimming.org.au/articles/ultimate-guide-to-swim-gp

NIGHT 1 RESULTS

TEAMS POINTSCORE DAY 1
Wahoo – 105
Kraken – 94
Tsunami – 77
KingTide – 63

WINNERS
Mixed 4 x 25 Freestyle Relay – Tsunami

1. Wahoo – Meg Harris, Ben Armbruster, Charlie Hawke, Lily Price
2. Tsunami – Kaylee McKeown, Jamie Jack, Ollie Moclair, Milla Jansen
3. KingTide – Olivia Wunsch, Flynn Southam, Jesse Coleman, Maya Zunker
4. Kraken – Chloe Rowe-Hagans, James Ward, David Schlicht, Alexandria Perkins

Mixed 100 Freestyle Multi Class: Jasmin Fullgrabe (Kraken), Callum Simpson (Wahoo), Tom Gallagher (Tsunami) and Victoria Belando Nicholson (KingTide)

Men’s 50 Breaststroke Elimination Skins: (1) Josh Collett; Wahoo (2) Joshua Anderson, Kraken

Women’s 50 Breaststroke Elimination Skins: (1) Ella Ramsay, Wahoo (2) Sienna Toohey, Tsunami

Women’s 400 Freestyle: (1) Lani Pallister, KingTide (2) Hannah Allen, Tsunami (3) Amelia Weber, Kraken (4) Jaimie De Lutis, Wahoo

Men’s 400 Freestyle: (1) Sam Short, Wahoo (2) Ben Goedemans, Tsunami (3) Brendon Smith, Kraken (4) Harrison Turner, KingTide

Mixed 100 Multi Class: (1) Jasmin Greenwood, Tsunami (2) Jenna Jones, Wahoo (3) Declan Budd, KingTode (4) Col Pearse, Kraken

Women’s 200 Mystery Medley: (1) Tara Kinder, Tsunami (2) Isabella Boyd, KingTide (3) Jenna Forrester, Wahoo (4) Brittany Castelluzzo, Kraken

Men’s 200 Mystery Medley: (1) Will Petric, Tsunami, (2) David Schlicht, Kraken, (3) Se-Bom Lee, Wahoo, (4) Lukas Dunn, KingTide

Men’s 50 Backstroke: (1) Enoch Robb, Kraken (2) Mark Nikolaev, Kraken

Women’s 50 Backstroke: (1) Kaylee McKeown, Tsunami (2) Iona Anderson, Wahoo

Women’s 25 Freestyle: (1) Alexandria Perkins, Kraken, (2) Meg Harris, Wahoo, (3) Olivia Wunsch, KingTide, (4) Milla Jansen, Tsunami

Men’s 25 Freestyle: (1)  Ben Armbruster, Wahoo, (2) Jamie Jack, Tsunami (3) Flynn Southam, KingTide, (4) James Ward, Kraken,

Mixed 4 x 50 Freestyle Relay Combined:

1. KingTide – Alex Tuckfield, Flynn Southam, Keira Stephens, Olivia Wunsch
2. Kraken – Tim Hodge, James Ward, Madeleine McTernan, Alexandria Perkins
3. Wahoo – Ben Hance, Ben Armbruster, Emily Beecroft, Meg Harris
4. Tsunami – Tom Gallagher, Jamie Jack, Jasmine Greenwood, Kaylee McKeown