Short Course Night 2: Smells Like Teen Spirit

A new look Dolphins are set to be unveiled at the World Short Course Championships in Budapest after another night of records and PBs at the Australian Short Course Championships at SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre.

Kinder surprise Tara Kinder doubled down on her 100m breaststroke title by claiming the 400m IM – again under Budapest qualifying time – and Grayson Bell clocked another PB and Australian record in the men’s 50m breaststroke – 26.02 after establishing the new mark of 26.11 in the heats.

For Kinder, 21, her time of 4:29.78 was an 11 second PB after illness had gate-crashed her Paris Olympic trails.

Touching in ahead of Kayla Hardy (4:31.77) and Olympian Jenna Forrester (4:37.94), Kinder has been surprised by her back-to-back best efforts in what World Short Course campaign head coach Simon Cusack said was a credit to her persistence.

For Bell, this meet was a lifeline he never saw coming.

The 27-year-old could get the chance of achieving his Olympic dream in his pet event at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics as part of a radical plan to overhaul the swimming program.

Currently, the only 50m swimming event at the Olympics is in freestyle but if World Aquatics get their wish, the 50m backstroke, 50m butterfly and 50m breaststroke will all become Olympic gold medal races.

Should this happen, Bell is planning to extend his representative career pending the IOC making the final decision on the 2028 swimming program.

Bond University’s Milla Jansen has almost certainly stamped her papers for senior Dolphins debut in December after winning the 100m freestyle final in 52.31 with Jaimie De Lutiis second (52.84).

Jansen will be a key player in the Dolphins rejuvenation of 100m stocks given the five-ring retirements of Emma McKeon and Campbell sisters Cate and Bronte.

Emerging WA backstroker Iona Anderson (pictured) took full advantage of Kaylee McKeown’s absence to win her first open National title in 2:01.80 – the 6^th fastest all-time Australian and well under the World Championship qualifying time as was second placegetter Bella Grant’s 2:04.12.

In other results:

• Touching in first for the men’s 200m backstroke final was Josh Edwards-Smith with a qualifying time of 1:49.14. Also making the cut was Enoch Robb who placed second (1:50.77) just ahead of Stuart Swinburn (1:51.83).
• The men’s 50m freestyle multi-class final spanned across the ages, featuring thirty-two-year-old Paralympian Ahmed Kelly, who finished fifth, and 16-year-old budding multi-class sensation, Declan Budd touched first based on points.
• Jamie Jack is determined to follow in his older sister’s strokes, Shayna Jack, who won relay gold in Paris. Tonight’s men’s 100 freestyle final was won by Brisbane Grammar’s Edward Sommerville (46.84), followed closely by Jack (46.91) who trains under Dean Boxall at St Peters Western.