Madi Wilson’s Message Is Loud And Clear: I Want In For Dolphins Tokyo Relay Assault

Madi Wilson, Leiston Pickett, Travis Mahoney
FRONT AND CENTRE: Madi Wilson, pictured with fellow Anacondas Leiston Pickett and Travis Mahoney, leading the way in Australia's Tokyo relay assault. Photo Courtesy: Adelaide Advertiser.

Madi Wilson’s Message Is Loud And Clear: I Want In For Dolphins Tokyo Relay Assault

Adelaide-based Rio Olympian Madi Wilson has sent a clear message to her rivals that she “wants in” as Australia primes itself for a major relay assault at next year’s Games in Tokyo.

With the majority of the world’s best swimmers going head-to-head as the multi-million dollar ISL rolls on in Budapest, the Dolphins have not been idle.

Team Australia celebrates after winning in the women's 4x200m Freestyle Relay Final during the Swimming events at the Gwangju 2019 FINA World Championships, Gwangju, South Korea, 25 July 2019.

AUSSIE WORLD BEATERS:  Madi Wilson (right) joins Brianna Throssell and Ariarne Titmus to congratulate Emma McKeon after the Rio Olympian anchored the Dolphins to 4x200m gold in a world-record breaking time in Gwangju last year. Photo Courtesy: Patrick B. Kraemer

A series of Australia-wide virtual short course relay meets – tagged the #Relay Blitz – have seen some slick times with the Adelaide Anacondas, Melbourne Mavericks and Sydney Sharks teams adding their times to the Gold Coast meet featuring the Brisbane Bisons and Braves and Gold Coast Rockets teams at Bond University on Friday.

And Wilson – the 26-year-old 2015 World Championship backstroke silver medallist, a Rio finalist and a member of Australia’s 2019 World Championship winning 4x200m freestyle team – continues her career-best form as a major freestyle player.

Wilson clocked the equal all-time sixth fastest 200m freestyle relay split of 1:52.44, swimming for the Adelaide Anacondas in Marion, while adding two equally impressive 100m splits of 51.60 and 52.26 – the three fastest 100 and 200m times of the Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Gold Coast Meets, with the WA meet to be swum in Perth on Monday.

It is the fastest 200m freestyle relay split clocked in two years and she becomes the third fastest Australian relay swimmer behind world short course champion Ariarne Titmus (4th 1:52.22, 2018) and Kylie Palmer (5th 1:52.42, 2010).

Putting the times into perspective, Titmus (1:51.38), Australia’s multi-medal winning Olympic and World Championship freestyle-butterflyer Emma McKeon (1:51.66) and Rio Olympic butterfly silver medallist Maddie Groves (1:52.52) have all clocked those times with a flat start.

Wilson’s time in Adelaide over-took Titmus (153.76 lead off) for the Brisbane Bisons on Friday and Kaylee McKeown’s (1:54.26) while in the 4×100 metre freestyle and medley relays, Wilson clocked the two fastest splits so far.

It comes after her career best 100m freestyle personal best time of 52.13 swum at the South Australian State SC Championships swum last month.

The Peter Bishop-coached Wilson will now set herself for the $132,000 Hancock Prospecting Virtual GP meet from November 27-29 when the Marion team makes its way to Brisbane with South Australians clear to travel to Queensland without having to quarantine.

Meanwhile the Sydney Sharks – with coaches Simon Cusack and Adam Kable at the helm, showed they are mounting a challenge from south of the border.

The Sharks men, led by former breaststroke world record holder Matt Wilson and his training partner Brad Woodward, clocked the fastest times in the 4x50m freestyle and 4x50m medley relays.

But it was William Yang’s freestyle anchor split of 21.37 – the fastest so far – that caught the eye in the medley relay with backstroking Woodward leading off in 24.33; Wilson chiming in with his 26.54 and butterflying Edward Marks splitting 23.07.

The Sharks backed up with a comfortable win in the men’s 4x50m freestyle in 1.27.88 (Alex Quach 22.19; Josh Hertz 21.93; Andrew Newling 21.72 and Josh Collett 22.04) giving the Mick Palfrey/Will Scott coached West Coast Wizards (WA) star-studded sprint team, a time to chase.

One of the big swims in Melbourne came from Nunawading’s butterflyer Matt Temple who clocked a time of 22.64, the fastest 50m butterfly split of the four meets so far.

 

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