World Juniors Day 4: Impressive Fins bank LA Learnings

DAY 4 of the World Junior Championships wrapped up in Romania this morning and in another finals’ session of impressive racing, the Australian Dolphins continued their LA learnings.

Budding teenagers Olivia Hine, Henry Allan (pictured), Hayley Mackinder, Lily Koch, Josh Conias, Heidi Shumack– and a jet fuelled relay quartet of Lucas Fackerell, Oliver Linde, Campbell Wilson-Moran and Tex Cross – all banked first-rate performances at the Aquatics Complex in Otopeni.

For many it was their first step up to an international final and the likes of 17-year-old butterflyer Hine flourished.

Hine, who trains at Somerville House, had set a national age group record for the 50m fly in her semi final  – her 26.21 bettering the old mark set by Olivia Wunsch – and then she almost gave it another haircut in the final.

Her 26.23 saw her finish fifth. New Zealand’s Zoe Pedersen won gold but only just, her swim of 25.63 holding off Japan’s Mizuki Hirai (25.66). Denmark’s Martine Damborg won bronze in 25.80.

In finals this morning:

• Backstroker Allan, who has consistently been in the mix for medals at this meet, claimed 4^th in the men’s 50m backstroke, touching the wall in 25.14 – just 0.23sec separated the top four places.
• Breaststrokers Mackinder (1:08.19) and Koch (1:08.98) finished fourth and sixth respectively in the 100m breaststroke with Koch improving her time from heats-to semi-to final.
• Speed demon Conias soaked up the pressure of international competition to also get quicker every time he hit the water, posting a 22.23 PB in the men’s 50m free final to finish fifth.
• Shumack, at 15 one of the youngest swimmers in the Junior Dolphins team, gritted out a gutsy 200 IM to clock 2:14.88 in her first “worlds” final.
• And then our 4x200m relay boys all swam under the 1:50 mark to post 7:16.90 courtesy of a cracking lead-off swim and PB from Fackerell (1:48.83) and Western Australian Tex Cross coming home in 1:48.53.

As a side note: In a swim off to be first reserve for the men’s 50m free final, Junior Dolphin Ollie Moclair clocked 22.11 bettering the 17 years’ age record of one Kyle Chalmers.

Full results here.

Pic: World Aquatics