Maddy Gough Joins In The Aussies Short Course Record Rumble With The Fifth Fastest 1500m In History

Maddy Gough best in pool
RECORD RUMBLE: Australia's Maddy Gough swims the fifth fastest short course 1500m freestyle in history. Photo Courtesy: Istvan Derencsenyi.

Maddy Gough Joins Short Course Record Rumble With The Fifth Fastest 1500m In History

It was Maddy Gough’s turn to keep the records rolling in Brisbane today with the 21-year-old Queenslander from the Gold Coast demolishing her own Australian 1500m freestyle mark, clocking the fifth fastest time in history at the Queensland State Short Course Championships.

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HELLO SUNSHINE: Coffs Harbour-born Gold Coaster Maddy Gough living life in the fast lane. Photo Courtesy: Gold Coast Bulletin.

Gough (TSS Aquatic) clocked a time of 15 minutes 31.19 to set a new Australian, Australian All-Comers and Queensland Open record, producing the swim of the day in the race of the meet so far at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre.

Her time has only ever been bettered by world record holder, Germany’s  Sarah Koeler, her occasional training partner Spain’s Mireia Belmonte, New Zealand’s Commonwealth record holder Lauren Boyle and Lotte Friis of Denmark.

The Coffs Harbour-born Gough took seven seconds off her own Australian records, set just last month at the Brisbane Championships.

And she had some good company in a world class race which saw last night’s 800m freestyle winner and National record breaker Lani Pallister (Cotton Tree) clock the eighth fastest time ever of 15.38.99 with third placegetter, Tokyo Olympic 10km qualifier Kareena Lee (Noosa) becoming the ninth fastest swimmer ever in 15:40.51.

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SELF SATISFACTION: Three-time World Junior Champion Lani Pallister rocketing up the rankings charts. Photo Courtesy: FINA / Budapest 2019

Needless to say Gough, Pallister and Lee are now the three fastest Australians in history over 1500m short course event.

It was a real indication of the battle royal that is looming over the next nine months in the race for the two places in the newest women’s Olympic event for Tokyo, with Gough’s TSS Aquatics training partner Kiah Melverton also set to join the fray.

It was a race to behold, with Pallister who set a new 800m freestyle Australian mark of 8:11.71 last night, again setting a cracking pace through the first 800m, leading the field through the 400m in 4:04.29 and the 800m split in 8:16.28.

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TOKYO BOUND: Kareena Lee, pictured here with two-time Olympic champion Susie O’Neill and her coach John Rodgers, who may well have the 1500m in her Olympic sights as well. Photo Courtesy: Hanson Media

But it was a pace she couldn’t quite hang on to and by 950m the ever present and powerful stroking Gough, with Lee also snapping at her heels took the lead with Pallister, as tough a teenager there has been over the distance in recent times, hanging on as well.

Gough ploughed through the final 500 metres, sprinting home over the last 100m in under 61 seconds, certainly full of steam and knowing there will be further improvements to come.

Pallister and Lee hung on strongly in the most impressive women’s 1500m race staged in Australia since some of the great duels between Olympic bronze medallist Julie McDonald and Pallister’s mother and coach Janelle Elford in the late 1980s and before those two, world champion Tracey Wickham and Olympic champion Michelle Ford in the 1970s and early 1980s and before them world beaters Jenny Turrall and Sally Lockyer in the mid 1970s.

Australia now has five of the fastest All-time Top 13 performers with Gough, Pallister and Lee joining former Australian record holder and London Olympian Jess Ashwood and former Australian champion Laura Crockart.

The All Time Top 13, 1500m freestyle Short Course looks like this:

  1. Sarah Koehler (GER) 15:18.01
  2. Mireia Belmonte (Spain) 15:19.71
  3. Lauren Boyle (New Zealand) 15:22.68
  4. Lotte Friis (Denmark) 15:28.65
  5. Maddy Gough (Australia) 15:31.19
  6. Kate Ziegler (USA) 15:32.90
  7. Erika Villaecija Garcia (Spain) 15:37.78
  8. Lani Pallister (Australia) 15:38.99
  9. Kareena Lee (Australia) 15:40.51
  10. Laure Manaudou (France) 15:42.39
  11. Petra Schneider (DGR) 15:43.41
  12. Jess Ashwood (Australia) 15:43.83
  13. Laura Crockart (Australia) 15:45.89

And while all eyes have been on the distances divas over the past two days, attentions turned to the other big names with Mitch Larkin (St Peters Western), Griffith University pair Emily Seebohm, Emma McKeon and Minna Atherton (Moreton Bay Aquatic) in action.

Larkin added the 100m backstroke (51.13) to his 200m backstroke and 400IM double from Day One, while McKeon was also in strong form, winning the 50m butterfly (25.91) the 200m freestyle (1:54.88) and then the 100m freestyle (52.30) just 0.02 outside Libby Trickett’s 2004 Queensland All-Comers record.

Alex Graham (Bond) took the 200m freestyle for men in 1:44.03 from Clyde Lewis (St Peters Western) 1:45.38 and 19-year-old Alex Grant (Moreton Bay) 1:46.16. while Jack Cartwright (St Peters Western) showed his best form since recovering from his shoulder issues to win the 100m freestyle in 47.29 from Louis Townsend (Rackley) 48.18 and Kiwi Michael Vincent (48.65)

Atherton won the 100m backstroke (57.77), adding it to her 200m backstroke win with Seebohm second in 57.85 and her Griffith University team mate Jess Unicomb third in 59.54, after Seebohm’s 100IM win in 1:00.64 from Tessa Wallace (Pelican Waters) 1:01.05 and Unicomb 1:02.53.

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SUBMERGED MOLLIE: Talented St Peters Western All-Rounder Mollie O’Callaghan surfacing in Budapest. Photo Courtesy: Fina.

But it was the next generation who continued to make waves, with Mollie O’Callaghan (St Peters Western), Thomas Neill (Rackley) and Thomas Hauck (All Saints) continuing to make their mark – especially O’Callaghan.

The 16-year-old Dean Boxall-trained O’Callaghan wasted no time continuing to erase some of swimming’s biggest names from the record books – including Cate Campbell, McKeon and Atherton – breaking Campbell’s long-standing 16 years Queensland State 100m freestyle record, set back in 2008 and McKeon’s 2010 All-Comers record with her sizzling 53.10 – the second fastest time of the day behind McKeon’s 52.30.

No one was spared as the youngster continued to cut a swathe through some of the best records in the Queensland Short Course books with Atherton’s 2016 record in the 100m backstroke being laid to rest with O’Callaghan clocking 57.00 to clip 0.08 off Atherton’s Queensland and Queensland All-Comers records.

Hauck chimed in with his 52.83 win in the 17 years 100m backstroke – taking down Clyde Lewis’ 2015 mark of 53.59 and 2008 Olympic bronze medallist Andrew Lauterstein’s 2004 Queensland All Comers mark of 53.53, adding the 17 years 100m freestyle in 48.90, while Hauck won the 17 years in 49.53and Neil the 18 years in an imnpressive 48.65

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Joel Jeffries
Joel Jeffries
3 years ago

Why do you include Schneider in the top 13 when she has admitted she was using steroids ?

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