AUSTRALIAN TRIALS, Finals, Day One: Emma McKeon Ticks The Paris Box in The 100m Butterfly Alongside New Breaststroke Olympians Sam Williamson and Joshua Yong
Australia’s most successful Olympian – five-time gold medallist and 11 time medallist – Emma McKeon has tonight booked her place on a third Olympic team – winning the 100m butterfly in 56.85 at the Australian Trials in Brisbane – and the real prospect of adding to her medal tally.
McKeon, the bronze medallist in the 100m butterfly in Tokyo, has celebrated her 30th birthday with the best possible present, knowing she will retire from swimming after 15 years on the Australian team on sport’s biggest stage.
Emma McKeon on the fly at the 2024 OLY Trials Photo Courtesy Wade Brennan (Wade’s Photos)
McKeon (Griffith University, QLD; Coach: Michael Bohl) took control of her destiny with a slick first 50m, splitting 26.20, and hanging on over the final stages, to make the qualifying cut, but there was heartbreak for Queensland’s 23-year-old Alexandria Perkins (USC Spartans, Coach: Mick Palfrey) who was agonisingly close, clocking 57.33 (missing the time of 57.17) after after swimming under the QT of 57.10 in the morning preliminary heats.
Meanwhile Victorian powerhouse Sam Williamson can now call himself an Olympian after setting a new Australian All-Comers record in the 100m breaststroke – fast enough to book his place on the Australian Swim team for Paris.
The 26-year-old from Melbourne Vicentre and coached by Craig Jackson, broke dual Olympic champion, British superstar Adam Peaty’s All-Comers mark set at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, stopping the clock in an Olympic qualifying time of 58.80 – the third fastest time in history by an Australian and the fastest time ever swum in an Australian pool.
Williamson’s time just 0.22 outside Brenton Rickard’s Australian record of 58.58 – set back in 2009 in the supersuit era and one of the oldest Australian records in the books and 0.01 behind 2012 London Olympic silver medallist Christian Sprenger.
Australia will have two swimmers in the 100m breaststroke with WA’s Joshua Yong (UWA West Coast, WA; Coach Ben Higson) sneaking under the 59.49 QT by just 0.01 -clocking his personal best time of 58.48 – bolstering Australia’s medley relay depth along the way.
OFF TO PARIS: Sam Williamson and Joshua Yong. Photo Courtesy Wade Brennan (Wade’s Photos)