‘I’M COMING FOR THEM’
Coast teen fires Games warning to Aussie swim kings
ELIJAH Winnington has given the greatest sign yet he is set to be a Commonwealth Games bolter after beating Cameron McEvoy to win the 200m freestyle at the state championships.
The teen trains with sprint king McEvoy under Richard Scarce at Bond University on the Gold Coast but it was the apprentice that upstaged the master at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre last night. Winnington touched the wall in 1min 47.96sec, ahead of Korean visitor Hojoon Lee (1:48.49), young gun Jack Cartwright (1:48.70) and McEvoy (1:48.99). And his effort will have Australia’s best sitting up and taking notice, with the 17-year-old set on claiming a place in his homecity Games next April.
“The win definitely does count,” Winnington said.
“It’s not the time that gets you on the team, it’s the place. So it gives me a lot of confidence and I guess now I’ll be in the back of a lot of those guys’ minds, so I hope they know I’m coming.
“I haven’t tapered for this and obviously the main goal is trials in two months’ time, so I’m in good stead.”
Winnington and McEvoy go head-to-head in training every day, pushing each other to be better.
“For me to have someone who is in that 200-400 range to train with and race against every day is great for me,”McEvoy said.
“I’ve definitely come forward in leaps and bounds but having someone who is at the top of their game in that area of swimming, makes it better for me to challenge them and step my game up.”
Griffith University’s Emma McKeon was second in the 200m freestyle, beaten by “Terminator” Ariarne Titmus, who touched the wall in a time of 1:56.34.
In an intriguing twist, David Morgan was prevented from swimming the final of the 100m butterfly last night after failing to meet the target time set by TSS coach Chris Nesbitt.
Morgan finished the heats the fastest qualifier in 53.20sec – a time that would have won the final. But in an indication he is set to get tough on his swimmers ahead of the Games, Nesbitt set Morgan a target time of 52.8sec and when his charge failed to make it, he refused to let him swim the final.