STEPHANIE RICE'S AUSTRALIAN RECORD SMASHED BY TEENAGER FULLERTON
Melbourne, September 20: Stephanie Rice may be the Olympic champion but she already has reason to look over her shoulder after 15-year-old Ellen Fullerton smashed her Australian short course 400 metre individual medley record at the Telstra Australian Short Course Championships at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre tonight.
Fullerton, who trains under master coach Denis Cotterell at Miami on the Gold Coast, clocked 4:32.02 in winning her first National open title and sliced 0.46 seconds from Rice's 13-month-old mark.
Two other youngsters also won their first Australian open titles with Amy Smith (St Peters Western, QLD) taking out the women's 200m butterfly in a slick 2:06.31 and Kyle Richardson (Commercial, QLD) winning the men's 200m freestyle in 1:44.90.
Also shining was unheralded butterflyer Matt Jaukovic (Sydney University, NSW) who posted a sizzling 50.83 in the men's 100m to move into third on the Australian all-time list behind only Adam Pine and Geoff Huegill but ahead of Beijing Olympic bronze medallist Andrew Lauterstein.
Fullerton has long been a prolific medal winner at age group level in Australia and was third behind Rice at this year's Olympic trials before winning silver over the gruelling 400m individual medley at the FINA World Junior Championships in July.
Tonight she took the race out hard and was strong across all four strokes, blazing to a stunning last 100m of 1:03.00 and the unexpected record.
Fullerton's teammate at Pro-Ma Miami, Amy Levings, won the silver in 4:40.35, while Jackie Staples (4:43.21) claimed the bronze and her second medal of the night.
An obviously ecstatic Fullerton said she had been inspired by Rice's rise to global prominence and was shocked that she could break her National record.
"My goal was to just swim as fast as I could and I can't believe I have just broken the Australian record," Fullerton said.
"Stephanie has been a huge inspiration to me over the last year and I can't explain how it feels to have her old record.
"I saw the record in the program but didn't expect to be anywhere near it."
In fairness to Rice her short course record was three seconds slower than the long course world record she set in winning the Olympic gold and she has never had a preparation aimed solely at a short course meet.
Women's 200m butterfly
Amy Smith, 18, posted a sensational 2:06.31 and moved to fifth on the Australian all-time list behind Olympic gold medallist Susie O'Neill, Jessicah Schipper, Felicity Galvez and Petria Thomas.
Norwood pair Jackie Staples (2:09.59) and Jessica Ash (2:11.55) won the silver and bronze.
A notoriously high goal setter, Smith said she her progression up the Australian rankings was pleasing but she had hoped to swim faster tonight.
"It's good to be up there on the list but I would have liked to swim faster and was looking to go under 2:06 tonight," Smith said.
Smith made a major breakthrough by taking out four gold medals, including her pet 200m butterfly, at this year's Oceania Championships in Christchurch and has continued that good form here. She will now seriously challenge for a place on the Australian team for next year's FINA World Championships in Rome, although she is keen to remain as an underdog.
"I'm excited about the [World Championship] trials but to everyone I'm still the underdog and it'll be good to get in under everybody's radar," she said, somewhat unrealistically.
Men's 200m freestyle final
Kyle Richardson, better known for his abilities over 50 and 100 metres, took out the men's 200m freestyle in 1:44.90 to win his first National title by a fingernail from Ryan Napoleon (St Peters Western, QLD), who clocked 1:45.01, and Robert Hurley (Wests Illawarra Aquatic, NSW), who swam 1:45.07.
Richardson led from the gun, moving through the first 100m in 51.01 and hanging on despite Napoleon and Hurley making ground at every turn. All three medallists swam personal bests with Richardson's winning time just shy of the Australian all-time top ten.
The 21-year-old said he felt comfortable through the first three quarters of the race and hung on over the closing stages.
"I felt cruisey for the first 150 metres or so and I could see Ryan [Napoleon] was a about a half body length behind most of the way but I could see big splashes over the last 50m and I knew he was there," Richardson said.
The performances further demonstrate the depth in the event in Australia at present with all eight swimmers that represented Australia over the distance, both individual and in the bronze medal winning 4x200m relay, at the Beijing Olympics, absent on well earned breaks from the pool.
Richardson said he had drawn inspiration from watching that Olympic relay bronze and now believed his coaches Stephan Widmer and Brant Best's theory that he had the makings of a good 200m swimmer.
"It would definitely be inspirational to be on that [Australian] 4x200m team one day," Richardson enthused.
"Both my coaches thought I might be a better 200m swimmer than I had been and now after tonight we'll just see."
Women's multi-disability 50m breaststroke
Madeleine Scott (Southlake Dolphins, WA) claimed the gold in a time of 41.43 from 14-year-old Stephanie Poynton (Firbank Aquatics, VIC) in 45.44 and Elise Mulcahy (Shepparton, VIC) in 47.94.
Places in multi-disability events are calculated on the percentage of the world record in the respective classifications for each individual's performance.
Men's multi-disability 50m breaststroke
Grant Patterson (Central Cairns, QLD) in 1:06.30 won the corresponding men's event from Chezz Mentesana (Southlake Dolphins, WA) (32.69) and Michael Auprince (Revesby Workers, NSW) (39.31). Patterson's time was an unofficial world record for his classification.
Men's 4x100m freestyle relay
Lloyd Townsing, Justin Griggs, Ryan Nolan and Cameron Prosser won gold for Melbourne Vicentre in 3:16.89, defeating Commercial (3:17.30) and Cranbrook Eastern Edge (3:17.51).
Women's 4x200m freestyle relay
The team of Frances Adcock, Leah Cutting, Tiffany Papaemanouil and Jessica Ash combined to clock 8:03.50 and help Norwood to the gold medal ahead of Pro-Ma Miami (8:05.05) and Nunawading (8:05.90). Ellen Fullerton, swimming last for Miami clocked 1:56.93, almost two and a half seconds faster than anyone else in the field.
In semi-final action:
Women's 50 metres breaststroke (finals tomorrow night)
Sarah Katsoulis (CA Tritons, VIC), silver medallist in the event at this year's FINA World Short Course Championships in Manchester, was the top qualifier in the women's 50m breaststroke in 30.98. Second best was Commonwealth record holder and former world champion Jade Edmistone (Chandler, QLD) in 31.07, with 16-year-olds Samantha Marshall (Cook & Phillip, NSW) (31.35) and Leiston Pickett (Southport Olympic, QLD) (31.69) next.
Men's 100 metres backstroke (finals tomorrow night)
Robert Hurley (Wests Illawarra Aquatic, NSW), back in the water just minutes after winning bronze in the 200m freestyle, posted the fastest semi-final time with a 52.65, two tenths quicker than dual Beijing Olympic medallist Hayden Stoeckel (Norwood, SA). Hurley was eighth in the same event at this year's FINA World Short Course Championships in Manchester.
Men's 100 metres breaststroke (finals tomorrow night)
Christian Sprenger (Commercial, QLD), a silver medal winning medley relay heat swimmer in Beijing, was way ahead of the competition in clocking 59.07 to hold a significant gap on second quickest semi-finalist Craig Calder (Albury, NSW) (1:01.05).
Women's 100 metres backstroke (finals tomorrow night)
World junior champion Grace Loh (CA Tritons, VIC) earned top spot with a sizzling 59.29 to move to seventh on the Australian all-time list. Bridgette-Rose Taylor (Brothers, QLD), who clocked 1:00.42, was second best. Loh has come a long way in the sport over the last 12 months and is now the favourite to win her first Australian title.
Men's 100 metres butterfly (finals tomorrow night)
Matt Jaukovic (Sydney University, NSW) was sensational in the men's 100m butterfly - posting 50.83 and moving into third on the Australian all-time list behind only Adam Pine and Geoff Huegill. Not even Beijing Olympic bronze medallist and defending Australian short course champion Andrew Lauterstein has swum that fast.
Behind Jaukovic and qualifying third was 14-year-old Jayden Hadler (Commercial, QLD) in an incredible swim of 52.57.
Earlier today the first medals of the Championships were won when Michael Hardy (Bankstown Sports, NSW) clocked 7:55.40 in the men's 800m freestyle to defeat Trent Grimsey (Albany Creek, QLD) (7:55.74) and Cameron Smith (8:04.57) (St Peters Western, QLD).
Joining in the action tomorrow will be 13 members of Australia's successful Paralympic swim team, led by five-time gold medallist Matt Cowdrey (Norwood, SA).
Tomorrow's heats start at 10am and tickets can be purchased at the door. Prices start at $3 for children / concession and $5 for adults.