McEvoy makes history at Aussie Champ’ship
ADELAIDE, Australia, April 13, (Agencies): Cameron McEvoy completed the firstever sprint treble at an Australian swimming championships with a flying victory in the 50-metres freestyle final in Adelaide on Wednesday.
The 21-year-old physics student followed up his stunning 47.04 seconds win in the 100m event and deadheat with Thomas Fraser-Holmes in the 200m freestyle to power to victory in the one-lap dash at the Olympic trials.
McEvoy burned off his rivals, beating Matthew Abood and James Magnussen in a winning time of 21.44secs.
McEvoy will now have to juggle a three-pronged individual campaign at the Rio Olympics in August, while London Olympics 100m silver medallist Magnussen failed to qualify for an individual swim at this year’s Olympics.
“I was aware of that (sprint treble) and over the past two years I’ve gone close to doing that,” McEvoy said.
“It’s awesome to be a part of history in that respect.”
Looking ahead to Rio, McEvoy said he would be focusing on all three of his individual swims but the 100m would be his main target.
McEvoy has been in sensational form at the Australian trials.
He overpowered a strong field to win the 100m event in a new Commonwealth record and the year’s fastest time in the event.
It placed McEvoy a tantalising 0.13secs off Brazilian Cesar Cielo’s 2009 world record of 46.91secs, making him nominally the man to beat in Brazil.
Cate Campbell followed up her win
over sister Bronte in the 100m freestyle with an Australian record of 23.93 in the 50m freestyle.
Bronte won the other semi-final in 24.27secs, setting the stage for another battle royal in Thursday’s final with her sister.
Belinda Hocking trumped world champion Emily Seebohm in the women’s 200m backstroke with the year’s fastest time of 2:06.49, just 0.10secs ahead of Seebohm.
David Morgan (51.64) and Grant Irvine (51.76) both failed to qualify for Rio after finishing one-two in the men’s 100m butterfly. Jessica Ashwood missed the Australian record by one-hundredths
David Morgan wins the men’s 100m Butterfly final on the penultimate day of the 2016 Australian Olympic swimming trials for Rio Olympic Games in Adelaide on
April 13. (AFP)
of a second in winning the 800m freestyle final in 8:18.42.
Australia’s swimming team for the Rio Olympics will be announced after Thursday’s finals.
Triple world champion Adam Peaty booked his place at the Rio Games by winning the 100 metres breaststroke at the British Olympic trials in Glasgow in a time of 58.41 seconds.
The mark, if nowhere near the 21-yearold’s own world record of 57.92 that he set at the same national championships last year, was faster than August’s world championship-winning time of 58.52.
“Just qualified for my first Olympic Games, no other feeling like competing for your country at this level,” he said on Twitter.
Despite being a big hope for gold, Peaty said he had taken nothing for granted despite being world champion at the distance.