Stubblety-Cook Pressed To Paris Defence By Yong As Ramsay Win Sees Coach Raleigh Celebrate 200BR Double
Zac Stubblety-Cook checked into the defence of the Olympic 200m breaststroke crown in a duel with Josh Yong that ended 2:07.40 to 2:08.08 in favour of the Tokyo 2020ne champion, both men well inside the cut for Paris 2024.
Stubblety-Cook, coached by Vince Raleigh at Chandler, set the pace and had the edge of endurance and speed in the closes stages of a battle in which Yong played a tall shadow that kept the champion on his toes and provided what he has lacked in too many domestic races in recent years: close opposition.
Stubblety-Cook Vs Yong – The flow:
29.56; 1:02.16 (32.60) 1:34.96 (32.80) 2:07.40 (32.44) Stubblety-Cook
29.48; 1:02.38 (32.90) 1:35.22 (32.84) 2:08.08 (32.86) Yong in a lifetime best
Third place went to Bailey Lello in 2:10.65.
Stubblety-Cook emerged from battle to say: “It’s awesome, thanks to the crowd out here tonight, it was awesome hearing that coming home, and it’s awesome to qualify… It’s always ‘bring it home and everything you’ve got’. Not much is going through the head, it’s just everything you’ve got and leaving nothing in the tank.”
Reflecting on the time and his Paris prospects, he added:
“I’m just still looking for my best race. I haven’t done a PB in two years and I’d like to have my best race in Paris and that’s all I can do. I think it’s going to be a lot more competitive, a big crowd there. It’s going to be pretty exciting, a lot more of a big crowd there.
I’m excited for that aspect of Paris and I think it’ll be different (to Tokyo) obviously, going in as the Olympic champion in a very different circumstance. But I’m happy to rise to the occasion. If I didn’t want to try and get back to there, I wouldn’t still be swimming.”
Zac Stubblety Cook – Photo: Racing on to the team in Brisbane, by Delly Carr, courtesy of Swimming Australia
Additional Reporting By Nicole Jeffery in Brisbane
Ramsay Goes Career-Best 2:22.8 For Paris Punch
Coach Raleigh scored a double when 19-year-old Ella Ramsay, the daughter of 2000 Olympian Heath Ramsay and already in the team after a 2:09 behind Kaylee McKeown in the 200IM , topped the women’s 200m breaststroke in a lifetime best of 2:22.87, inside the 2:23.91 cut, Jenna Strauch an agonising 0.13sec shy of target in 2:24.04.
The two had raced beside each other for three lengths, Ramsay the leader at the first and Hal-way turns before Strauch surged with a 36.44 third length that left her 0.52sec ahead on 1:45.19.
Ramsay stuck to consistent speed throughout and a last length of 37.16 swept her passed the struggling Strauch, whose last length of 38.85 fell a fingernail shy of a ticket to Paris at 27. Her 19-year-old Miami club mate Matilda Smith clocked 2:25.84 for third.
Strauch’s case is an interesting one: 2:23.91 is the World Aquatics ‘A’ cut, which is often slower than the Australia cut but in this event, Strauch would be on the team off the Australia cut of 2:24.16 defined her fate. It’s a question of numbers at the Games.
Comment: The system of how relative worth is measured needs some deeper thought.
And here’s another quirk in that final: Mikyla Smith, 25 and 5th in 2:27.45 and Reidel Smith, 21 and 8th in 2:31.73, are sisters. Third-placed Matilda Smith is no direct relative.
Ramsay Vs Strauch – The flow:
32.37 1:08.63 (36.26) 1:45.71 (37.08) 2:22.87 (37.16) Ramsay
32.65 1:08.75 (36.10) 1:45.19 (36.44) 2:24.04 (38.85) Strauch
33.21 1:09.82 (36.61) 1:46.90 (37.08) 2:25.84 (38.94) Smith
Ramsay told Nicole Jeffery in Brisbane that the 200m breaststroke wasn’t even her main target for Trials: “It wasn’t my number one priority. My biggest priority is probably tomorrow the 400 IM, but to just qualify in two other events leading into that, I was proud of myself and it took off the pressure.
“Happily surprised. I knew I put in the hard work, I’ve been training the best I ever could. It was just about controlling my nerves with pressure around me and just putting the swim together nicely.
Asked about following in her Dad’s footsteps, Ella Ramsay said: “Me and my dad are quite competitive. So I always wanted to beat him. Whether that being one further than what he placed in Sydney, or a few extra events than him, either, or, I’m happy with.
When daughter and dad meet after her qualification in the 200m medley, says Ella, “he was really proud. we had a little bit of a tear. I hope he’s proud of me. All I wanted to do at this meet was just make him proud. He’s one of my biggest supporters. (I wanted) to come out here and swim fast and show him that everything he’s put into me, it’s all working out.”
Brisbane Results in full / Event Page
How Adversity Contributed To Woodward & Lee Making The Dolphins Squad For Paris Olympics
In the men’s 200m backstroke, Brad Woodward led from go to gold and a ticket to his first Olympics in 1:56.22, a lifetime best that served as hare to the two rivals who also raced inside the Paris cut.
Only one can go and that will be Se-Bom Lee, who will also make his Olympic debut in France this July-August after clocking 1:57.02. The third man home in a career high, Josh Edwards-Smith, was just 0.08sec adrift, that gap the margin between trials ecstasy and agony.
Woodward missed the team three years ago after getting sick at the trials, and said he would have retired after Tokyo if he’d made it. Missing the 2020ne Games kept him going for another three years and now he’s made it and will keep going post-Paris.
Se-Bom Lee also has adversity to thank. He has a knee injury which made it difficult for him to train breaststroke. He switched his focus from medley to 200m backstroke because of it after Australian nationals in April. The reward: a best time by more than a second tonight to qualify for the team. It was his last chance, too: he’s withdrawn from the 400m medley, which was his Olympic event in Tokyo.
Woodward Vs Lee Vs Edwards-Smith
27.16 56.45 (29.29) 1:26.19 (29.74) 1:56.22 (30.03) Woodward
27.88 57.32 (29.44) 1:27.09 (29.77) 1:57.02 (29.93) Lee
Short A Shoe In For Paris 1500 As Galea Takes 1500 Shy Of Olympic Cut
Sam Short is almost certain to add the 1500m free to his Paris 2024 Olympic schedule even though he was forced to withdraw in order to hasten his recovery from a bout of gastroenteritis that left him 4-5kg lighter going into Trials.
The fastest heat of the 30-length swim went to Matthew Galea in 14:58.96 ahead of Kyle Lee in 15:08.72 and Benjamin Goedemans, on 15:09.38.
Gale said after his win: “A bit disappointed with the swim, but I gave it everything I had which is the best you can do.” His target was 14:54.
Meanwhile, Short is open the team in the 400 and 800m and can be added to the 1500m as the clear Australian No1 of the era, the 2022 Commonwealth champion and 2023 World-titles bronze medallist and 400m World champion.