Super fish power to the line
COMMONWEALTH Games aspirant Jorden Merrilees showcased his quality by taking out yesterday’s 1.2km Rock2Ramp event in style at Point Roadknight.
The 23-year-old powered to the finish line to gap last year’s runner-up Matt Gilling, while teenager Jesse Coulson claimed third.
Earlier in the morning, Gilling and Robbe Dilissen retained their 1-2 status in the 2.5km swim with Singapore’s Tristan Read finishing third.
Merrilees, a Queenslander now living in North Melbourne, has been training the past three months with Olympic gold medallist Mack Horton and Italian Olympian Gregorio Paltrinieri as he pursues a spot in Australia’s Commonwealth Games squad.
“I’ve spent the last couple of years in America and I got back and I thought I’d do some more ocean water swims because it’s a little bit of fun and this is a down period in training, so I thought I’d get out of Melbourne and enjoy myself,” he said.
“I put in a lot of good kilometres before Christmas and then had some time off to rejuvenate the batteries.
“Personally I had high expectations but results are results.
“I’m swimming at Vic Centre with Mack Horton.
“We’ve had Gregorio Paltrinieri train with us for the past three months, so we’ve done a lot of 1500km swims.
“We’re just trying to build into Commonwealth Games trials on February 28.”
The University of North Carolina student will next compete in the Victorian titles in mid-January in preparation for a tilt at the 200m freestyle Commonwealth Games trials.
In the women’s 1.2km, 17year-old Anna Hume improved on her fourth from last year to prevail, while last year’s 2.5km winner Naomi Scott defended her title.