Aussie Swim Stars Roll Into Olympic Park Aquatic Centre for Sydney Open & Uni Nationals

IN THE FRAME: Australia's best swimmers will be under the spotlight in Sydney next week. Image courtesy Swimming NSW.

Australia’s finest swimmers led by Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers and world champions Cate and Bronte Campbell and Ariarne Titmus will converge on Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre next week for the 2021 Sydney Open – their final hit out in preparation for next month’s Olympic Swimming Trials.

RETURN FLIGHT: Cate Campbell will return to Sydney next week for a reunion with her Knox-Pymble club mates after making the move back to Brisbane to train. Photo Courtesy: Nina Beilby (Swimming NSW)

The four-day event from Thursday May 13 to Sunday May 16 will also incorporate the 2021 Uni Sport Nationals – attracting University Teams from all round Australia.

The innovative Sydney Open and Uni Nationals will also feature morning finals as swimmers prepare themselves for what lies ahead in Tokyo for this year’s Olympic Games.

The meet will kick-start with the opening heats session on Thursday, May 13 from 6pm with the daily program to follow as such:

Friday, May 14: FINALS (9am); HEATS (6pm); Saturday, May 15: FINALS (9am); HEATS (6pm); Sunday, May 16: FINALS (9am).

The 9am finals sessions will feature:

– The A finals (10 fastest qualifiers from the heats regardless of club or university entry);

– The University Final (the next 10 fastest university entries) and;

– The Club final (the next 10 fastest club entries).

STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE: Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers has been in the zone in the countdown to Tokyo. Photo Courtesy: Anthony Burns APP (Swimming NSW)

Rio 100m freestyle champion, Chalmers (Marion, SA) will line up in the 50, 100 and 200m freestyles and the 100m butterfly with the decorated Campbell sisters (Knox Pymble, NSW) fronting the all-star 50 and 100m freestyle events, while reigning 400m freestyle world champion Titmus will line up in the 200, 400 and 800m freestyle.

The Sydney Open and Uni Nationals Meet was a huge success in 2019 before COVID forced the 2020 meet to be postponed and it has also attracted a five-strong New Zealand-team led by Helena Glasson as they chase Olympic qualifying times.

HAPPY PLACE: One of Wollongong’s finest Emma McKeon makes herself at home at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre. Photo Courtesy: Nina Beilby (Swimming NSW)

Former NSW products Emma McKeon and Thomas Fraser Holmes (Griffith University Swim Club) and rising middle distance star Lani Pallister (Griffith University) from the Michael Bohl-coached Griffith University group on the Gold Coast will also feature prominently in a squad that also includes triple Olympic backstroker Emily Seebohm and pop star Cody Simpson (who will compete for Superfish in the 50 and 100m butterfly and 100m freestyle) as he continues on his projection towards 2024.

NSW’s leading Olympic hopeful Matthew Wilson (SOPAC) will spearhead a strong “Mighty Blues” contingent which includes Abbotsleigh’s newly crowned Australian Open champion Shaun Champion, who will represent UTS at this meet.

LICKETY-SPLIT: The quicker the better for NSW’s premier breaststroker Matt Wilson who is on target for Tokyo. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).

Wilson will again line up against fellow Tokyo hopefuls Jake Packard (USC Spartans) in the 100m and fellow 2019 World’s finalist Zac Stubblety-Cook (Chandler) over the 100 and 200m breaststrokes.

The 21-year-old Champion led home a flurry of NSW swimmers, clocking 23.94 to win the 50m butterfly – his first time under 24 seconds.

Champion finished ahead of Uni Sport National record holder William Yang (Loreto Normanhurst) 24.08; fellow UTS swimmer Ed Marks (Carlile) 24.25 and Auburn’s Alex Quach (24.37) at the Australian Championships on the Gold Coast last month.

Champion was also a close up second to Nunawading’s Olympic hopeful Matt Temple in the 100m butterfly at the Australian Open, recording a quick 52.17, getting closer to breaking the 52 seconds mark.

JOB DONE: Nunawading’s Matt Temple after winning the 100m butterfly gold at the Australian Open Championships on the Gold Coast last month. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).

But Temple, Champion, Marks, Quach and the likes of Rio Olympian David Morgan (TSS Aquatic) and WA’s Nicholas Brown (UWA West Coast) will also have to confront Olympic champion Chalmers in the 100m butterfly and Temple’s Nunawading team mate, 200m National champion Bowen Gough.

The ‘fly remains an option for freestyle gun, Chalmers who will front Australia’s top Tokyo hopes over 100 and 200m freestyle, but the Peter Bishop-coached South Australian has trodden warily in his return from his December shoulder surgery.

Chalmers presence in the butterfly adds another major factor to this meet in the lead up to the crucial Australian Olympic Swim Trials in Adelaide from June 12-17 at the SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre.

The men’s freestyle events here will also see Chalmers lead a full-on assault with the majority of the top 10 finalists from the Australian Open in the line ups.

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN: That’s been the message all season from Elijah Winnington who has a busy program in Sydney over 50, 100, 200, 400 and 800m freestyles Photo Courtesy: Nina Beilby (Swimming NSW).

They will include Alex Graham and Clyde Lewis (Bond Swim Club), St Peters Western pair Elijah Winnington (representing Bond University), and Jack Cartwright – all in the 100 and 200m freestyle, with Rackley’s Louis Townsend (QUT) and dual Olympian James Roberts (Somerset) putting all his Tokyo eggs in the 100m freestyle basket.

The women’s freestyles from 100 through to 1500m – will feature the likes of the Campbell girls, McKeon, Madi Wilson (Marion, SA) and St Peters Western hot-shot trio Mollie O’Callaghan, Mia O’Leary (who will swim for the University of Qld) and Meg Harris over 50 and 100 while Titmus (St Peters Western) McKeon, Leah Neale (USC Spartans), Pallister and TSS trio Maddy Gough (Bond University), Kiah Melverton (Griffith University) and Moesha Johnson will battle it out over 200, 400 and 800m.

SKY’S THE LIMIT FOFR MOLLIE O: St Peters Western teenage flyer Mollie O’Callaghan continues to make every post a winner. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).

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