46 members of the Australian Dolphins Swim Team, a plethora of international para stars and some of Victoria’s best emerging talent made for a memorable weekend of swimming at the Victorian Open Championships, incorporating Round 1 of the World Para Swimming World Series.
It was one of the strongest fields we’ve seen at these Championships and with swimmers setting their sights firmly on Tokyo, the competition was fast and fierce. Records tumbled, PBs were smashed and nail-biting finishes were witnessed over the 3-day event.
When it came to nail-biting finishes, there was none closer than the Men’s 200m Butterfly where Nunawading teammates Matthew Temple and Bowen Gough finished in a dead heat with their time 1:58.76. The pair were at it again in the Men’s 100m Butterfly with Temple getting the edge to claim gold in a time of 51.70 with Gough not far behind him (52.97).
In the Para competition it was a medal spree for Australia, finishing on top of the tally with 16 gold, 17 silver and 19 bronze.
Melbourne Vicentre’s Ahmed Kelly battled it out with best mate and rival Grant ‘Scooter’ Patterson in their iconic Mixed 150m Individual Medley Multi-Class race. In the end it was Kelly who claimed silver ahead of Patterson, swimming under the qualifying time for Tokyo in 3:06.96.
‘Swimmer of the Meet’ Awards were presented to the standout Victorian performances at the conclusion of the event. Congratulations to the following swimmers:
Swimmer of the Meet – awarded to the male and female Victorian athletes who achieved the highest FINA point score for a swim at these Championships.
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Matthew Temple (Nunawading) – Men’s 100m Butterfly final, 894 points
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Jessica Hansen (Nunawading) – Women’s 100m Breaststroke heats, 861 points
Para Swimmer of the Meet – awarded to the male and female Victorian para athletes who swam closest to the world record time for their classification.
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Timothy Disken (PLC Aquatic) – Men’s MC 200m IM final, 818 points
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Ruby Storm (Traralgon) - Women’s MC 50m Butterfly final, 799 points
Nunawading confirmed itself as Victoria’s powerhouse club, taking home the Fred Blunt Trophy for the highest aggregate points over the Victorian Age and Open LC Championships. It amassed an impressive 4093 points across the two championships, ahead of MLC Aquatic (1748) and Northcote (1484).
For full results click here.
Thank you to all swimmers, coaches, officials, volunteers and spectators for making the 2020 Victorian Open Championships such a success!
We now look forward to the Victorian Sprint Championships, 29 February – 1 March. For competition information click here.
