2023 AUSTRALIAN SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- April 17 – 20, 2023
- Marine Parade, Southport, Queensland
- Gold Coast Aquatic Centre
- Long Course Meters
- Meet Central
- Entry Sheets
- Prelims at 10 a.m. AEST / 8 p.m. EST; finals at 6 p.m. AEST / 4 a.m. EST
- Preview
- Live results
Four women went sub-54 times in the 100 free prelims at the 2023 Australian Championships on Monday morning in Queensland.
World and Commonwealth Games champion Mollie O’Callaghan led the speedy quartet with a 53.52, just a few tenths ahead of Shayna Jack (53.72) and reigning Olympic champion Emma McKeon (53.81). Meg Harris also reached the wall under the 54-second mark with a 53.91. The stacked field didn’t stop after the top four as four-time Olympian Cate Campbell (54.17) and two-time Olympian Madi Wilson (54.19) weren’t far behind.
For O’Callaghan, it was her first time swimming the event this year since she skipped the 100 free at last month’s NSW State Open Championships. That meet saw Jack produce the second-fastest time in the world this season with a 53.12. O’Callaghan is tied for sixth in the world this season with Campbell, who also clocked a 53.52 at last month’s Brisbane Senior Metro Championships in her first meet since the Tokyo 2o21 Olympics. McKeon is also ranked inside the top 10 this season with a 53.55 from the NSW State Open Championships.
| 2 | Shayna Jack |
AUS | 53.12 | 03/10 |
| 3 | Abbigail Weitzeil |
USA | 53.36 | 04/15 |
| 4 | Sarah Sjostrom |
SWE | 53.44 | 03/19 |
| 5 | Freya Anderson |
GBR | 53.48 | 04/07 |
The Australians’ prelims performance a reminder of their dominance in the women’s 4×100 free relay. They have won the event at every major international long course meet dating back to the 2017 World Championships, breaking a pair of world records along the way.
In other action from Monday’s prelims, 21-year-old Kaylee McKeown qualified second in the women’s 200 IM with a 2:13.91 behind 19-year-old Jenna Forrester. Zac Stubblety-Cook, who broke the men’s 200 breast world record at this meet last year, paced the 100 breast prelims with a 1:00.62 ahead of fellow 24-year-old Matthew Wilson.
Kyle Chalmers qualified second in the men’s 50 fly with a 23.64 behind 20-year-old Ben Armbruster (23.42). Cody Simpson snuck into the 10-person final in the last qualifying spot with a 24.34. In the men’s 400 free, 19-year-old Samuel Short (3:48.32) edged top-seeded 22-year-old Elijah Winnington by a second and a half. Jenna Strauch comes into tonight’s final as the top seed in the women’s 50 breast with a 31.66 while Ty Hartwell (1:59.22) and Bradley Woodward (1:59.40) were the only men under two minutes in the 200 back.
