Jack Cartwright’s withdrawal leaves freestyle holes to fill

Swimming Australia: 9 June, 2019: The six-day Hancock Prospecting World Swimming Trials for this year’s 18^th Fina World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea (July 12-28) will kick off at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre Saturday (June 9) without noted international freestyler Jack Cartwright (St Peters Western: Coach Dean Boxall) in the men’s events.

The Commonwealth Games relay gold medallist is recovering from a shoulder injury, meaning the boy from Gladstone, who broke through to make the 100m final in the last World Championships in Budapest will not be going to this year’s Worlds.

 

Cartwright has been groomed as one of the boys most likely and his withdrawal is a major blow for this year’s Worlds.

 

He remains a crucial cog in the men’s freestyle ranks as the Dolphins take aim at next year’s Olympics, hoping to continue their momentum from last year’s Pan Pacs.

 

Add the retirement this week of two-time World 100m champion and Olympic silver medallist James Magnussen and it leaves the Australians minus two members of its Commonwealth Games 4x100m freestyle gold medal winning team and one from its Pan Pacific Championship silver medal team.

 

Cartwright was in both those teams – so there’s a sub-48s hole to fill.

 

Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers ((Marion: Coach Peter Bishop) has been in superb form throughout 2019, dominating at the Australian Championships, where he looked at his best over 50, 100 and 200m freestyle and his new event the 100m butterfly.

 

Experienced two-time Olympians Cam McEvoy (TSS Aquatic: Coach Chris Nesbit) and James Roberts (Somerset: Coach Ashley Callus) and Commonwealth Games 4x200m freestyle relay gold medallist Alex Graham (Bond University: Coach Richard Scarce) remain, leaving this as the first question leading into this week’s World Trials.

 

WHO will challenge for an individual spot in both the men’s 100 and 200m freestyle events and what will be the make up of Australia’s relays?

 

The 100m freestyle will also see the likes of Commonwealth Games 400IM gold medallist Clyde Lewis (St Peters Western: Coach Dean Boxall); WA sprint pair Zac Incerti and Ashton Brinkworth (UWA West Coast: Coach Mick Palfrey), rising star Louis Townsend (Rackley: Coach Damien Jones) all very much in the frame.

 

Lewis is the boy most likely and could well hold the key to both relays and the medleys in the countdown to Tokyo. He led off the Australian 4x200m relay in fine style at last year’s Pan Pacs (a team just edged out by the US) with his training partner Cartwright swimming the anchor.

 

In the 4x200m Commonwealth Games gold medal foursome of Olympic 400m champ Mack Horton (Melbourne Vicentre: Coach Craig Jackson), Chalmers, Graham and his fellow Bond emerging star Elijah Winnington (Coach Richard Scarce) are sure to make it difficult for anyone with their eyes on a prize that could lead to an Olympic medal in Tokyo.

 

McEvoy, Townsend and two-time Olympian Tom Fraser-Holmes (Griffith University: Coach Michal Bohl) are sure to strike in what will be a race not to be missed a case of one door closing and another ready to open.

 

With Horton ditching the 1500m the 400 and the 800 will again see the 400m Olympic champion go head to head with Commonwealth Games gold medallist Jack McLaughlin who will continue to target the 1500m.

 

The question here is can Winnington, who beat them both over 800m at the Sydney Open, squeeze out the big two and continue his rise up the rankings?

 

Look for a time under 3:45 with Winnington sure to use his early speed to try and steal this one.

 

The men’s breaststroke is also looming as two of the best races on the program with the big three Matt Wilson (SOPAC: Coach Adam Kable), Jake Packard (USC Spartans: Coach Chris Mooney) and Zac Stubblety-Cook (West Brisbane: Coach Vince Raleigh) knowing they will have to crack 59 seconds to be amongst the best in South Korea.

 

And in  the 200m, world beaters Wilson and Stubblety-Cook, are in a league of their own – not only the only two under 2:10 but also under 2:08m- with Wilson’s Commonwealth record at the Australian Championships of 2:07.16 – giving the WR of 2:06.67 a real nudge.

 

This one could go down to the touch on the wall.

 

And the final question is, can Mitch Larkin (St Peters Western: Coach Dean Boxall), qualify for four individual events – the 100 and 200m backstroke and the 200 and 400m individual medleys?

 

The star of last year’s Commonwealth Games and the dual backstroke world champion from Kazan in 2015 will take a power of beating as he prepares for a third Olympic campaign next year.

 

He will be in for some interesting battles – particularly in the100m backstroke with 2018 Dolphins team mate Bradley Woodward (Mingara Aquatic: Coach Adam Kable) and new comers William Yang (Sydney University: Coach Bobby Hurley) and Tristian Hollard (Southport Olympic: Coach Glenn Baker) sure to keep the Commonwealth record holder honest.

Larkin knows all about his medley rival Lewis who he sees every day under coach Dean Boxall at St Peters Western – and throw in Fraser-Holmes, also looking at a third Olympic campaign and there could well be unprecedented fireworks in the medleys.

Ian Hanson| Media Manager