Sunday, 20 April 2025

2025 Australian Open Day 1 Prelims: Kaylee McKeown Goes 2:08.58 In First 200 IM Since Paris | SwimSwam

By Sean Griffin on SwimSwam

2025 AUSTRALIAN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS

The first preliminary session of the 2025 Australian Open just wrapped up in Brisbane. This morning’s lineup consisted of the men’s 100 breaststroke, women’s 200 IM, men’s 50 butterfly, women’s 100 freestyle, men’s 400 freestyle, women’s 50 breaststroke, and men’s 200 backstroke.

As a reminder, this is not the Australian selection meet for the 2025 World Championships. Most swimmers are using this competition as a tune-up for the World Championship Trials, which are set for June 9–14 in Adelaide.

In the first event, the men’s 100 breast, St. Peters’ Bailey Lello, 21, posted the fastest time of the morning with a 1:01.02. He is on the verge of breaking the elusive 1-minute barrier, with his current best time of 1:00.11.

Fellow 21-year-old Joshua Collett, who represents Bond, followed closely behind with a time of 1:01.05. The Chris Mooney-trained athlete was just off his lifetime best of 1:00.57.

Melbourne Vicentre’s Sam Williamson, who notched the fastest time by an Australian in 2024 with his 58.80 winning time at the Olympic Trials, clocked 1:01.30 this morning. Craig Jackson-coached Williamson was out in a swift 27.71 at the 50 turn before closing in 33.59.

23-year-old Joshua Yong, who helped Australia secure bronze in the mixed 4×100 medley relay in Paris, lurks in 5th with a time of 1:01.48. His career-best stands at 59.48, set at the Trials last June.

Former 200 breast world record holder Zac Stubblety-Cook was a no-show in the event. He recently changed training bases, leaving Chandler and coach Vince Raleigh to train at Griffith University under their new coach, Mel Marshall, who has guided British sprint breaststroke legend Adam Peaty to multiple world records.

Kaylee McKeown, swimming the 200 IM for the first time since the Olympics, logged a time of 2:08.58—nearly matching her 2:08.66 prelim swim from this meet last year. The backstroke specialist broke the 2:07 barrier for the first time at this meet in 2024, winning in 2:06.99. Her 2:08.58 is the 2nd-fastest time in the world this year.

This morning, McKeown split 27.98 for fly, 32.40 on back, 37.50 on breast, and 30.70 for free. She has decided to scratch tonight’s final.

McKeown holds the Australian record in this event with her 2:06.63 from the Olympic Trials last June. She went on to win bronze at the Olympics, in 2:08.08, following that record-setting performance.

Like Stubblety-Cook, McKeown has undergone a coaching change since Paris—her former coach, Michael Bohl, took a role with the Chinese Swimming Association, and she is now training under Marshall as well.

McKeown’s training partner, 20-year-old Ella Ramsay, clocked 2:12.45 to advance in 2nd. Ramsay famously qualified for the Paris Olympic final in this event but chose to leave an empty lane. She’s been as quick as 2:09.32 in this event, a time she posted at the Trials last June.

In the men’s 50 fly, Italian star Thomas Ceccon, who holds the world record in the 100 back and won the title in Paris 2024, was the fastest this morning, clocking 23.00. Ceccon, the 2023 World Champion in the 50 fly with an Italian record of 22.68, led Cameron McEvoy, who logged 23.09. McEvoy, the 50 free gold medalist in Paris, earned bronze in this fly distance at the 2024 Doha World Championships. He just missed his best time of 23.07.

Ceccon is currently training with Dean Boxall at St. Peters. He is using this meet to qualify for the World Championships this summer, after receiving special permission to compete here instead of at last week’s Italian Nationals.

At the Stockholm Open last week, Kyle Chalmers entered new territory by notching his first-ever sub-23-second swim in the 50 fly with a 22.89, a performance that could be on McEvoy’s mind tonight. Chalmers’ time edged closer to retired Aussie Olympian Matt Targett’s super-suited national record of 22.73 from 2009.

Notably, 21-year-old Isaac Cooper, the 2024 World champion in the 50 back, qualified 3rd with a time of 23.57. He owns a best time of 23.12 to his name.

In the women’s 100 free, 2022 and 2023 World Champion Mollie O’Callaghan took center stage. The 200 free Paris Olympic champion opened with a 26.34 split through the first 50 before closing in 27.17, finishing with a final time of 53.51, which ranks 5th worldwide this season.

St. Peters’ O’Callaghan, who confirmed a knee injury to SwimSwam back in January, has since been focusing on healing, taking it “step by step.”

“I’ll be out of the water for a bit and sticking to modified training for now,” she said at the time. “Luckily, my team and I have experience from my last injury, so we should have a solid rehab plan in place.”

Sub-53 sprinters Meg Harris (3rd, 54.51) and Shayna Jack (6th, 54.99) also safely advanced to the final.

Cruiz’s Abbey Webb, who trains under the guidance of Shannon Rollason, put up a time of 55.18 for 7th. Webb made headlines last November when she dropped personal bests of 54.06 (100 free) and 1:56.68 (200 free) at the Japan Open.

The 2023 World Junior gold and silver medalists, Olivia Wunsch and Milla Jansen, both scratched.

Additional Top Qualifiers:

  • St. Peters training mates Benjamin Goedemans (3:49.47) and Elijah Winnington (3:49.61) were the fastest 400 freestylers of the morning. Winnington posted a 3:41.41 at this meet last year before earning silver in Paris with a time of 3:42.21. His personal best remains the 3:41.22 that he swam to win the 2022 World title.
  • Bond’s Sienna Harben was the top qualifier in the women’s 50 breast (31.37). Teammate Tilly King, not to be confused with American breaststroke world record holder Lilly King, was 2nd this morning (31.58).
  • Carlile’s Marius Boll led the men’s 200 back prelims (2:00.20), securing lane four for the final. Ceccon was 5th quickest at 2:00.54.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2025 Australian Open Day 1 Prelims: Kaylee McKeown Goes 2:08.58 In First 200 IM Since Paris

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