Ed Sommerville’s Brave 200m Freestyle Short Course World Record Attempt Falls Short in Brisbane
Queenslander Ed Sommerville has bounced back from a disappointing Singapore World Aquatics Championship campaign, to launch an all-out attack on the 200m freestyle short course world record in Brisbane today.
The 20-year-old from Brisbane Grammar (Coach: Bobby Jovanovich) faded in the final 25 meters, finishing 1.98 outside the USA’s Luke Hobson’s 2024 world mark of 1:38.61, set when he won the World Short Course title in Budapest last year. Sommerville wasn’t going to die wondering.
Sommerville missed the mark, but was rewarded with his personal best of 1:40.59 (22.76; 47.32; 1:13.11) – a new Australian and Queensland All-Comers records, lighting up the meet with his attacking style on Day Two of the Hancock Prospecting Queensland Short Course Championships.
STAR PUPIL: Ed Sommerville, the boy from Brisbane Grammar, wasn’t going to die wondering. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)
The brave Sommerville wasn’t going to die wondering at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre, remaining under world record pace for the first 125, clocking 47.32 (his 100m pb) to Hobson’s WR 100m split of 47.87. He dropped off a fraction at the 150m mark, turning in 1:13.11, compared to the WR spit of 1:12.96.
The boy from Brisbane again faded in the final 25m, as he’d done in his races in Singapore, splitting the final 25m in 13.76 – the slowest of all his previous seven 25s. But you get the feeling if he can get that back end right, Sommerville may well eventually nail that world record.
The reigning Australian Short Course champion, who won the Australian Long Course Trials in June, failed to qualify for the semifinals in Singapore, finishing 17th and also missed the cut in Australia’s silver medal-winning starting lineup in the 800m freestyle relay.
He was just .23 outside World SC Championship silver medallist, Queensland-based Tasmanian, Max Giuliani’s Oceania and Australian record of 1:40.36, set in Budapest last year when Hobson established his world record. In that meet, a luckless Sommerville had finished ninth, missing the final by .03.
A time today that would have won bronze in the Budapest World SC final sees Sommerville maintain his eighth-place ranking on the All-Time World Top 10 Performers list, ahead of South African world junior record holder Matthew Sates who finished second to Sommerville today, in 1:45,23 with New Caledonian John Dabin in 1:47.78.
Ed Somerville’s Lap-by-Lap splits:
50m: 22.76 (11.93)
75m: 34.84 (12.08)
100m: 47.32 (12.48)
1:25: 1:00.00 (12.68)
150: 1:13.11 (13.11)
175: 1:26.87 (13.76)
200m: 1:40.59 (13.72)
200m FREESTYLE RECORDS
World 1:38.61 Luke Hobson USA (Budapest 15.12.24)
World Junior 1:40.65 Matthew Sates RSA (Berlin 03.10.21)
Commonwealth 1:39.83 Duncan Scott GBR (Incheon 02.11.24)
Australian/Oceania: 1:40.36 Maximillian Giuliani AUS (Budapest (16.12.24)
All-Comers: 1:40.65 Edward Sommerville Brisbane Grammar QLD Adelaide 26.09.24
WORLD ALL-TIME TOP TEN PERFORMERS MEN’S 200 SHORT COURSE
| 1 | 1:38.61WR | Luke Hobson (USA) |
| 2 | 1:39.70 | Yannick Agnel (FRA) |
| 3 | 1:39.72 | Sunwoo Hwang (KOR) |
| 4 | 1:39.83 | Duncan Scott (SCO) |
| 5 | 1:40.08 | Danila Izotov (RUS) |
| 6 | 1:40.36 | Max Giuliani (AUS) |
| 7 | 1:40.49 | Townley Haas (USA) |
| 8 | 1:40.59 | Ed Sommerville (AUS) |
| 9 | 1:40.65 | Matthew Sates (RSA) |
| 10 | 1:40.79 | David Popovici (ROM) |
In other events:
Bryce Krause (Fairholme/Toowoomba) had another impressive weekend, continuing to cut a swathe through the record book. He equalled the Australian 14 years 100m backstroke record of 54.58 set by 2025 World Championship team member Josh Edwards-Smith (WA) back in 2017.He also lowered his own Queensland Age and All-Comers records of 55.59 (previous pb) and 55.72, set last month, taking 1.01secs of that pb.
And later lowering his own Queensland Age and All-Comers records in the 50m backstroke – taking 0.39 off his previous mark, clocking an impressive 24.81 – also finishing fourth in the Open in 24.89.
Koa Stotz (Somerset/Gold Coast) clocked 50.34, breaking the Australian 14 years record of 50.61 held by former NSW wunderkind Te Haumi Maxwell since 2009 and the Queensland Age and All-Comers records of 50.84 and 51.07 both held by Thomas Hauck since 2017.
Stotz also lowered Christopher Montana’s Australian 14 years 50m breaststroke record, clocking 28.36 – lopping 0.24 of that mark, also taking 1.23 off Zac Stubblety-Cook’s Queensland record time set in 2013 while his Somerset clubmate Cohen Tarrant was also under the mark, finishing second in 28.91.
Both boys also under another Somerset star, Leny Grigor’s Queensland All-Comers time of 29.68, set last year.
Brisbane Grammar’s Max Cunningham capped an already successful meet, adding the 100m freestyle in 48.65, one of the quickest times by an Australian 16-year-old, behind Paris Olympian Flynn Southam’s Australian Age record of 48.05. It was equal to the same time by Olympic champion and Aussie sprint king, Kyle Chalmers. Cunningham also won the 16 years 100m butterfly in 54.02 and the 100m backstroke in 55.16.
I thought Somerville swims for Brisbane Grammar not Nudgee ? Also didn’t the boys win bronze in Singapore for the 4×200 relay and not silver ? Cheers
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