Nay Leads Way On Another Speed(o)y Day Down Under
2008-03-28
Craig Lord
A year ago, a 2:11.00 on 200m backstroke was good for the Australian title for Frances Adcock. She improved to a 2:10.31 at Australian trials in Sydney but finished fourth, locked out by two women on a 2:08 and a 15-year-old on a 2:10.10

A year ago, a 2:11.00 on 200m backstroke was good for the Australian title for Frances Adcock. She improved to a 2:10.31 at Australian trials in Sydney but finished fourth, locked out by two women on a 2:08 and a 15-year-old on a 2:10.10. How time flies in these extraordinary days at the start of Olympic trials season around the world.

Meagan Nay, yesterday the new Australian record holder on 2:10.01, is now Commonwealth record holder on 2:08.55, the first slot on the Dolphins team bound for Beijing hers by just 0.38sec ahead of 17-year-old Belinda Hocking. Before trials, Nay was fifth best Australian ever, and Hocking eighth. Now they sit at the helm Down Under and at 9th and 13th all-time. The Commonwealth record had stood at 2:08.74 to Katy Sexton (ENG) since she became World champion for Britain in 2003.

Nicole Livingstone (Stevenson) was still fastest ever Australian at the start of the week, from 1992. Now, she is fourth, with Adcock a fingernail behind but fourth best at trials. Two years ago, Joanna Fargus was Commonwealth champion. A 2:12.76 in Sydney left her in fifth and confined to a bygone age.

The 100m butterfly berths went to Andrew Lauterstein and Adam Pine, 32, respectively in best times of 51.91 (12th all-time best) and 52.13 (20th all-time). The champion turned in 27.78, to Pine's 27.16, before clawing back the deficit on the way home.

In the semis, Lauterstein, 20, had blasted a 52.05 and Pine a lifetime best of 52.14. Pine's best two years ago was 52.71. As we said yesterday, no limits. For Australia, and the rest of the world over the coming weeks.

Interesting though that with all this new attitude, new coaching, cutting edge suit technology and all the other valid reasons for improvement, Kylie Palmer, on 8:24.30, was the only woman anywhere close to getting the right side of 8:30, at a time when 8:16 is on the minds of the serious medal contenders in Beijing. Melissa Gorman took second in 8:36.23. Australian coaches have complained of a generation of swimmers with a short attention span, a trend that stems from the fast-moving instant internet world we're living in. Not good for applying themselves to distance training apparently.

At a time when the school of 2008 is knocking spots off what once was from 50m to 400m, Julie McDonald, 1988, Janelle Elford, 1988, Tracey Wickham, 1978, Michelle Ford, 1978, Sheridan Burge-Lopez, 1988 and Hayley Lewis, 1993, still lead the Australian 800m rankings.