Bull Shark Flynn Southam is on target for an individual swim at his first Olympics after claiming the 200m freestyle gold medal at the Australian Open Swimming Championships on the Gold Coast over the weekend.
After taking gold in three freestyle events at the Australian Age Championships, Southam stepped up against the country’s leading contenders at the Open Championships to hit the wall at 1:46.11 in the 200m, 0.45 seconds ahead of fellow Bond University Hancock Prospecting Swimming Excellence Scholarship recipient and Tokyo Olympian Elijah Winnington.
Southam backed up to finish fourth in the 100m freestyle. Both races were chock full of Olympians.
Ben Armbruster also served notice of his intent to secure a spot on the Games team by swimming personal best times to medal in his sprint events, finishing second in the 50m backstroke and third in the 100m butterfly.
Armbruster, an allcomers record holder (23.05) in the 50m butterfly, was just off his own record when he finished second to Kyle Chalmers in the 23.35.
“I am pretty happy with my performance and made good adjustments and improvements across the board,” Armbruster said.
“The lead up to the trials will be tough and Chris Mooney will be looking to kill us every session. I am feeling ready for the work though.”
The Bull Sharks will also be well represented at the 2024 Junior Pan Pacific Champions in Canberra in August with Mikayla Bird, Hannah Casey and Milla Jansen selected on the 40-strong Junior Dolphins team.
Bond University Director of Swimming Kyle Samuelson said he was pleased with the performances and results of the squad over two full weeks of training.
“Flynn was the headliner,” he said.
“To win a national championship in a final that was stacked with Olympians should give him some real momentum as he prepares for the upcoming trials.
“The goal is to secure individual swims in the 100m and 200m in Paris and his racing over the past two weeks should give him great belief.
“Ben was another standout. He had a tough schedule and I think he had the shortest turnaround time of any competitor when he raced two finals within 15 minutes of each other but he was able to swim at or close to his very best in both races.
“And I think Milla will also take a lot away from her meet. The 100m freestyle is the hottest field in swimming at the moment and to make a final against Olympic and World Champions was a great result.”
Samuelson said the selection of Jansen, Bird and Casey in the Junior Dolphins was also great news for the club.
“It is an Olympic year and that takes a lot of our attention, but it is important that our younger swimmers are constantly developing and making teams that gives them exposure to the best swimmers in the world at their age,” he said.
“So, we celebrate their selection and will prepare them to be ready to give it their best shot in Canberra.’’
The Bull Sharks’ next big meet will be the Olympic Trials in June, to be held at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre.