STARS OF THE "SALMON RUN" CHASE BIG FISH AT AUSTRALIAN AGE

Sydney, April 14: Day two heats at the 2009 Australian Age Championships witnessed some more encouraging results across the board as five members of the Telstra Dolphins World Championship team were back in action.

It was hard to see the pool deck with all 1411 swimmers from around the country and visiting swimmers from New Zealand, Canada, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Italy, Zambia, all racing for personal best times. Brooke Hanson Clarke reports....

The merchandise has sold out and the warm up's and cool down's are getting busier - the famous "salmon runs" are a sight to behold.

Some of the best young swimmers from around the world backed up this morning for day two after an impressive first day of competition that saw two Australian Age records broken.

Amongst the up-and-coming talent are Swimming Australia's current stars - 2008 Olympians Belinda Hocking, Cate Campbell and Emily Seebohm who all swam impressive heats this morning. Australian World Championship rookies Ellen Fullerton and Blair Evans also looked strong.

Hocking looked fantastic in her first race of the week in the 17-18 years 100m backstroke heats. Hocking split 29.49 in the first 50m and stopped the clock at 1.00.14 just 0.19 of a second outside her own Australian Age record set three weeks ago at the Telstra Australian Championships.

An Olympic finalist in the 200m backstroke, Hocking will swim the 100m at the Rome World Championships after finishing second to Seebohm at the Telstra selection trials.

The AIS-based Albury star is the fastest qualifier for tonight's final ahead of Melbourne Vicentre's Junior Pan Pac medallist Grace Loh (1.03.56) and Rachael Gorrie of St Peters Western, QLD (1.03.88).

Campbell also looked impressive in the one-lap 50 metre freestyle heats after her win the 100m freestyle on night one.

The Indooroopilly 16-year-old posted a heat swim of 25.41 and will face-off tonight against fellow Olympic team mate, Seebohm (Brothers, QLD) 26.12.

Fullerton (Pro-Ma Miami, QLD) swam a comfortable 400m freestyle heat after claiming silver in the 100m freestyle behind Campbell on night one. Fullerton's time of 4.19.85 ranks her third for tonight's final behind Pro- Ma Miami team mate and Australian Youth Olympic Festival gold medallist Katie Goldman 4.18.24 and fastest qualifier, Canadian Lindsay Seemann 4.17.30.

Evans is the fastest qualifier in tonight's final of the 17-18 years 400m individual medley. Evans showed no signs of fatigue after her win in the 400m freestyle on night one, stopping the clock at 4.54.04.

Mikkayla Maselli-Sheridan (Commercial, QLD) the winner of two gold medals on night one in the 14 years 200m individual medley and 100m butterfly was also back in action.

 Maselli-Sheridan qualified first for tonight's final of the 14 years 200m backstroke after clocking 2.21.59 and she will also back up in the straight final of the 14 years 800m freestyle and will be pushed by visitors from Canada and New Zealand. 

Kenneth To (Trinity Grammar School, NSW) is fastest qualifier in the 16 years boys 50m freestyle final. To won a silver medal in last night's 100m freestyle final and this morning he clocked a slick time of 23.39 just 0.44 outside Andrew Baildon's Australian Age record set back in 1988 - the year he made the Olympic final in Seoul.

To will also swim in the final of the 16 years boys 100m breaststroke after recording a heat time of 1:06.80.

Yolane Kukla (St Peters Western, QLD) will look to add another gold medal to her first win on night one in tonight's final of the 13 & under 100m butterfly. Kukla clocked 1.03.05 in her heat and will swim from lane four in tonight's final.

Jayden Hadler (52.90) of Commercial, Queensland, Nathan Roughley (53.32) of Castle Hills RSL Dolphins NSW and Matthew Roberts, Novocastrian NSW, (53.34) will be the ones to watch in the 15 years 100 freestyle final, with just 0.44 separating the three of them in this mornings heats.

Hadler will also swim the final of the 15 years boys 200m butterfly after recording the fastest time by over two seconds in this morning's heats. Hadler's time of 2.04.25 looked very comfortable and he is certain to have a shot at his own Australian record tonight.

In other heats this morning Ben Treffers (Burley Griffin, NSW) 56.44 is fastest qualifier for tonight's final of the boys 17-18 years 100m backstroke; Samantha Marshall (Cook and Phillip, NSW) 1.11.59 will swim from lane four in the final of the 16 years 100m breaststroke.

Full results of Day 2 heats can be found in the results section of the Swimming Australia website at www.swimming.org.au

Day two finals begin at 6pm at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM MEMBERS IN ACTION ON NIGHT TWO OF THE 2009 AUSTRALIAN AGE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Girls 16 years 50m freestyle: Cate Campbell and Emily Seebohm

Girls 16 years 400m freestyle: Ellen Fullerton 

Girls 17-18 years 400m individual medley: Blair Evans

Girls 17-18 years 100m backstroke: Belinda Hocking