2024 QUEENSLAND SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIPS
Just four months after giving birth to her first child, 31-year-old Emily Seebohm was back in the water, racing at the 2024 Queensland Sprint Championships.
The Olympic medalist took on two events today, the women’s 50m free and 50m back. As a refresher, this meet consists of 50m sprints of each stroke, with prelims and finals taking place in the same session.
In the 50m free, Seebohm warmed up with a bronze medal-worthy result of 27.09. That got the St. Margaret’s swimmer to the wall behind champion Cate Campbell who touched in 24.64 and American Linnea Mack who scored silver in 25.90.
Of note, 31-year-old Campbell was slightly quicker in the heats, producing a round one swim of 24.53. C1 currently ranks 3rd in the world in this event, courtesy of the 24.10 notched during the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup last October.
| 2 | Shayna JACK |
AUS | 24.09 | 12/12 |
| 3 | Cate CAMPBELL |
AUS | 24.10 | 10/06 |
| 4 | Kasia Wasick |
POL | 24.18 | 12/03 |
| 5 | Yufei ZHANG |
CHN | 24.26 | 09/28 |
Seebohm upgraded to gold in the 50m back, producing a winning time of 29.63. Mack settled for silver in 29.91 with the pair representing the only racers to dip under the 30-second barrier in the final.
Seebohm owns a lifetime best of 27.37 in the 50m back, a time she logged at the 2017 World Championships. She last raced this sprint at the 2021 Sydney Open where she clocked a mark of 28.15.
Some sparks flew in the women’s 50m breaststroke event, where 14-year-old Georgia Edwards crushed a new lifetime best of 32.47 to get to the wall first.
Entering this competition, Edwards of SC Grrammar owned a career-quickest result of 32.88, the only other outing she’s logged under 33 seconds.
However, with her 32.47 PB, Edwards now becomes Australia’s #2 performer of all time in the girls’ 14-year-old age category. Only Olympia Pope has been faster, possessing the age record of 32.24.
Another teen made some noise in the men’s 50m fly, as Japan’s 16-year-old Naoya Shiota got it done for gold.
Shiota stopped the clock in 24.29 to edge out Somerville House swimmer Jack Taylor who touched in 24.34. Reuben Gentles rounded out the podium in 24.74.
Olympic champion Zac Stubblety-Cook topped the men’s 50m breast podium in a casual 28.05 while Commonwealth Games champion Elizabeth Dekkers struck gold in the 50m fly. She hit 27.63 to beat the pack by over a second.
Additional Winners
- USC Spartan Thomas Nowakowski put up a time of 22.15 to win the men’s 50m free in the sole time of the field under 23 seconds. He was slightly faster in the heats, hitting 22.05 as the top seed. That sliced .01 off his season-best of 22.06 registered at December’s Queensland Championships. If world champion Cameron McEvoy stays on form, Nowakowski will most likely be battling Isaac Cooper for the 2nd spot on the Olympic roster in this 50m free sprint.
- Somerset’s Mark Nikolaev topped the men’s 50m back podium in 25.41. That beat out a pair of Chandler athletes, with James Bayliss posting 26.06 and Olympic medalist Mitch Larkin collecting bronze in 26.27.