Stubblety-Cook serves up last gasp recipe for Pan Pac selection

 

Swimming Australia: July 5, 2018: Queenslander Zac Stubblety-Cook has snuck his way onto the Australian Dolphins Swim team bound for Tokyo and the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships next month, but he left it to the last stroke, of the last lap, of the last race at the 2018 Hancock Prospecting Trials in Adelaide tonight, to do it.

A member of the Commonwealth Games Team on the Gold Coast, Stubblety-Cook was in a race against time in more ways than one and Games bronze medallist Matt Wilson when he lined up behind the blocks for the 200m breaststroke final.

The Vince Raleigh-coached West Brisbane swimmer trailed  at the final turn but with the tough task of a sub 2:08.80 ahead of him, he rocketed into the final 50 metres, ambushing  an unsuspecting Wilson (2:09.10) to take the win at the wall with a 2:08.65, just sneaking under the top eight time required for selection.

Stubblety-Cook was the story of the final night at the SA Aquatic & Leisure Centre in Adelaide as he shaved close to two seconds off his personal best in the men’s 200m breaststroke to make the qualifying time.

 

“I still can’t believe it,” he said afterwards. “My Commonwealth Games was pretty disappointing - just choking, really, that’s the only way to put it.

 

“Coming back from that and working off that I knew I had to step up to get some more confidence.

 

“I’ve always trained really well and put together training well but never executed it in a race.”

 

Tonight it was a different story as Stubblety-Cook held his nerve and added his name to the 33-strong Dolphins team.

 

In other events, Olympic gold medallist Cate Campbell (24.12) completed the sprint double after winning the 50m freestyle to go with her 100m race ahead of Shayna Jack (24.70) and Holly Barratt (25.03).

 

Fellow sprinter James Roberts has made his first Pan Pacs team after winning the men’s 50m freestyle.

 

But he said he had plenty of work to reach his best before leaving for Japan.

 

“There’s still a lot of room for improvement for me in the 50,” Roberts said. “I’m still working it out as I go.

 

“It’s awesome - I’ve never done a Pan Pacs before.

 

“Ticked off the Comm Games and to be debuting in both in the same year is great.

 

“I love Tokyo and it’s got to be a good stepping stone for 2020 (the Olympics) as well.”

 

In other events, Olympic gold medallist Cate Campbell (24.12) completed the sprint double after winning the 50m freestyle to go with her 100m race ahead of Shayna Jack (24.70) and Holly Barratt (25.03).

 

On the other end of the spectrum in the women’s distance freestyle Ariarne Titmus couldn’t be caught in the 800m free.

 

After a big week of racing including the 400m individual medley, the 400 and 1500m freestyle, a 4x100m medley relay, the 4x200 and 4x100m free relay Titmus capped off her racing kilometres with a win in the 800m freestyle in a super speedy 8:22.82.

 

Titmus who is in the middle of tough training still, led form the start and the Commonwealth Games gold medallist in this event was just outside her Gold Coast gold winning time of 8:20.02 – a promising sign for Pan Pacs.

 

Also having a stellar meet in South Australia was the second-place getter in this event, Kiah Melverton who grabbed gold in the 1500m freestyle, was second in the 400m free and tonight finished second behind Titmus in the 800 free in 8:30.45. Third place went to Melverton’s TSS Aquatic training partner and Australian Dolphins rookie for Pan Pacs 2018, Madeleine Gough (8:32.85).

 

While the men’s 1500m freestyle final may have been without a number of familiar faces, TSS Aquatics swimmer Joshua Parrish and Breakers’ Ben Roberts still put on a show with the duo going stroke for stroke for the 30 laps.

 

It was Parrish who put together a fast final 50 to take the win at the wall in a time of 15:26.58 with Roberts second in 15:28.92. Max Osborn (TSS Aquatics) was third in 15:34.31.

 

After cementing her place on the Pan Pacs team with a win in the 100m backstroke earlier in the meet, Kaylee McKeown stormed home to take top spot in the 200m backstroke in 2:07.65 ahead of Minna Atherton 2:08.75 and Sian Whittaker 2:11.49.

 

In other events…

 

Men 200 Metre Backstroke

 

Mitch Larkin, St Peters Western, 1:55.40

 

Bradley Woodward, Mingara Aquatic, 1:56.42

 

Jack Cartwright, St Peters Western, 1:58.53

Women 200 Metre Breaststroke

 

Jessica Hansen, Nunawading, 2:25.56

 

Tessa Wallace, Pelican Waters Caloundra, 2:26.66

 

Taylor McKeown, USC Spartans, 2:26.84

 

Men 200 Metre Breaststroke

 

Zac Stubblety-Cook, West Brisbane, 2:08.65, 962

 

Matthew Wilson, SOPAC, 2:09.10, 952

Alex Milligan, UWA West Coast, 2:11.54, 900