Elizabeth Dekkers Sets New Australian 16 YO Age Record In 200 Fly – 2:07.25

Making a flying start to her 2021 campaign, Elizabeth Dekkers from Newmarket Racers let rip in lane four during the Girls 16-years 200m Butterfly to smash the Australian Age Record she set in December last year.

On the third night of racing at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre for the 2021 Australian Age Swimming Championships, Dekkers’ time of 2:07.25 – which is around half a second faster than her pervious personal best – is already under the Tokyo Olympic qualifying time. Battling it out for silver and bronze in lanes five and three was Nudgee College’s Tiana Kritzinger and Epping’s Anneke Van Zoggel. In the end it was Kritzinger who touched ahead – 2:13.71 to 2:14.56.

Speaking after the race, Dekkers said she was thrilled with her result and added it was wonderful to be back racing.

“It feels really good to continue to bring that time down, so I’m happy with that – I just wanted to be strong in the first 100m and just try to hold on,” Dekkers said.

“I always try and swim my own race, but I was looking beside me the whole time.

“It also feels really good to be back on pool deck, I’ve really missed it, especially Australian titles.”

In the same event for the boys, Caleb Dryer (Trinity Grammar, NSW) took the spoils in an enthralling 200m fly race. Clocking 2:02.43, Dryer beat out Daniel McLoughlin (Kincumber Pacific) who posted 2:03.33 to secure silver and Jesse Coleman (Bond) who received bronze in 2:04.39.

Transitioning from a gruelling 200m butterfly to a fast and furious splash and dash, it couldn’t have been much closer in the Boys 17-years 50m Freestyle. With only a fingernail separating first and second, Isaac Cooper (Rackley) and Edward Speller (Melbourne Vicentre) had spectators on their feet. Madly dashing to the finish line, Cooper touched in 22.86, only three one hundredths of a second in front of Speller who hit the wall in 22.89. Placing third to receive the bronze was Bryce Belcher (22.98) from Uni of Queensland.

It was all Lello in the Boys 17-years 100m Breaststroke, as Churchie’s Bailey Lello edged out Knox Pymble’s Joshua Collett and Yannik Zwolsman to claim the Australian Age title. The race came down to the wire with Lello pushing himself in 1:02.23, to Collett’s 1:02.59 and Zwolsman’s 1:03.52.

MCA QLD’s Hannah Casey – who qualified fastest heading into the final – prevailed in the Girls 14-year 100m Butterfly, taking the top honour in 1:01.13. Sally Vagg from Rocky City snared silver in 1:01.56 while Giselle Davey from Firbank Aquastars snuck in from lane one to bag bronze in 1:02.63.

MLC Flippers squad mates Ella Ramsay (St Peters Western) and Sydney Brown (Wests Illawarra) went stroke for stroke in the Girls 16-years 100m Freestyle. In a gripping contest it was Ramsay who managed to take the gold in 55.30 ahead of Brown (55.87). Rounding out the podium was Madeleine Hardy from Trinity Grammar, NSW who jagged bronze in 56.81.

Sprinting in unison for the majority of the race and with hardly a stroke separating the pack at the first turn, the Boys 16-year 100m Freestyle was a blistering final. With only .21 of a second separating first and third, Jamie Mooney from Wagga Wagga managed to narrowly claim the title in a time of 51.43, beating out lane two’s Hugh Dolle (St Peters Western) who posted 51.51 and local Bond athlete, Jesse Coleman (51.64).

The night concluded with a host of epic relay events, access the results here.

Meanwhile, the final six Multi-Class Age races were completed earlier this afternoon. Click here to view the results.

The action continues tomorrow at 9am (local time). You can catch every race live from the Gold Coast Swimming & Aquatic Centre on Amazon Prime Video or via SwimTV.