Australian Age Championships, Night Three: Albury’s Breaststroking Ace Sienna Toohey Leads Record Breaking Night At Brisbane Aquatic Centre
Albury’s rising star Sienna Toohey last night took just 1:07.04 to erase the long stranding records held by two Olympic champions at the Australian Age Championships at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre last night.
HUGS ALL ROUND: Sienna Toohey congratulated by Lily Koch. Photo Courtesy: Bec Ohlwein/Swimming Australia.
The 16-year-old’s time was faster than three-time Australian Olympic champion Leisel Jones set 23 years ago and US Olympic champion Megan Quann at the same age.
The time established a new Australian Age record set by Jones (1:07.31 in 2002) and a new Australian All-Comers record set by Quann (1:07.05 in 2000), when the then 16-year-old won Olympic gold in Sydney 25 years ago ahead of a 14-year-old Jones –the youngest medalists on their respective teams.
Toohey, coached by Wayne Gould (in the southern NSW country town of Albury, bordering Victoria) has made significant strides both nationally and internationally in the past 12 months.
In June 2024, at the Australian Olympic Trials, the then 15-year-old shattered the 24-year-old national age record in the 100m breaststroke, also previously held by Leisel Jones, clocking the impressive time of 1:07.01.
Last year’s efforts earned her a place on Australia’s Junior Dolphins team for the 2024 Junior Pan Pacific Championships and now she has put herself firmly in the frame for selection for the junior team to contest the World Junior Championships in Romania later this year.
“Last year at Olympic Trials … I actually got to meet Leisel and she was so incredibly lovely and she is definitely someone that I look up to,” Toohey said.
“This week I’m just focusing on getting through it and hopefully making the (World Junior) team and then after this, I’ll focus on going to Trials in Adelaide and hopefully getting selected for the senior team for worlds.
“I’m super excited for the 50 breaststroke this week, especially because it has been added to the Olympics. The 50 is probably my strongest … so I’m stoked!
“At National Event Camp, it was really cool seeing how the older swimmers trained on a daily basis. Seeing that and being a part of it made me realise that I’ve got so much further to go on my swimming journey. Being in a room with all of them (Dolphins) was just mind blowing because there’s people here that have done what I want to achieve.”
Nunawading’s Lily Koch claimed silver in 1:09.23, with Toohey’s Albury teammate Isabelle Rae winning the bronze in 1:09.43
MACK ATTACK: Lincoln Wearing (Chandler, NSW) who set a new Australian Age record in the 15 years 800m free, taking down Mack Horton’s mark. Photo Courtesy: Bec Ohlwein/Swimming Australia.
Later in the night it was Lincoln Wearing (Chandler, QLD) coached by Tsuyoshi Kimura and Christopher Montana (Trinity Grammar, NSW) coached by Ben Tuxford who continued the record-breaking night.
Wearing crushing another Olympic legend’s Age record, winning the 15 years’ 800m in a new National record time of 8 min:03.73 (57.44, 1:59.05, 3:00.34, 4:01.795:02.77, 6:15.87, 7:19.95;) bettering 2016 Olympic champion, Mack Horton’s old mark of 8:04.74, set back in 2011.
In an all-Queensland trifecta, Riley Meares (St Peters Western, QLD) in 8:20.94 won silver with Lincoln’s twin brother Isaac Wearing (8:23.75) the bronze.
While Montana clocked a huge personal best to break the Australian and Australian All-Comers records for the 14-years 100m breaststroke set in 2014 by former world record holder Matthew Wilson.
RECORD BREAKER: Christopher Montana (Trinity Grammar, NSW) on his way to a new Australian 15 years record time in the 100m breaststroke. Photo Courtesy: Bec Ohlwein/Swimming Australia.
Montana clocking 1:02.70 to take 0.49 off Wilson’s record – with Leny Grigor (Somerset, QLD) second in 1:03.13 – also under Wilson’s old mark and Lukas Dunn (Knox Pymble, NSW) third in 1:04.61. Dunn the son of triple Olympian Matthew Dunn.
Meanwhile in one of the most exciting finishes of the evening, with Sam Higgs (Warringah Aquatic, NSW) winning the boys 18-year-old 200m breaststroke in 2:16.15, with just over half-a-second between the top three with Felix Dressel-De Bruyn (Melbourne, VIC)) and Oscar Kreutzberger (North Albury, NSW) dead-heating for silver in 2:16.68 – Higgs unleashing a wild celebration.
Then Hayley Mackinder, oached by two-time Olympian Thomas Fraser-Holmes at Griffith University (QLD) won the girls 17 years 200m breaststroke (2:26.55). All Saints’ QLD’s Julia Remington (2:32.00) and Ella Mounter (2:33.46) from NUSwim, NSW touched in second and third respectively.
SPLASHDOWN: Sam Higgs (Warringah Aquatic, NSW) celebrates his win in the 18 years 200m breaststroke. Photo Courtesy: Bec Ohlwein/Swimming Australia.