Southam Sets Sights On World-Title Tilt: 'Bring on the Pressure ... I love it, breathe it, froth it'
His sights set on a World-title tilt in December, Flynn Southam, a 45.6 AUS 100 free crown in the vault, says: "... as for expectation – bring on the pressure. Sometimes it does make me nervous, but I love it, and I breathe it. I froth it.”
Flynn Southam's gauntlet is chucked, and after a 45.61 victory in the 100m freestyle at the Australia short-course Championships at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre, the Commonwealth champion has set his sights on another title tilt.
With a nod to World S/C Championships in Beijing this December, Southam says he's keen to take on any of the best of the rest who show up in China, the dragon's lair of 100m Olympic champion Pan Zhanle.
Commonwealth 100m king ahead of Matt Richards, of Wales, and the defending Australian champion Kyle Chalmers, Southam has enjoyed something of a senior breakthrough this year, and today confirmed the upward curve atop a podium of personal bests in Sydney.
Short-course racing in peak form is not a match for its long-course sibling Down Under, and so we find Southam, 21, and racing for Bond, looking back over his shoulder at a 47.04 best from four years ago. Ranked 17th all-time Aussie from that time at 17 years of age, Southam is no all-time No4, with a ticket to World titles in Beijing comes December, the prospect of a crack at Chalmers' national mark of 44.84, the World record that has stood since 2021, rising up the aerial.
Southam was followed home by 200m national-record setter of yesterday Ed Sommerville, his 46.06 a career high inside his 46.76 in heats, which topped his 46.84 previous best of 2024 in his last season as a teenager. A man still in his teens, at 19, Marcus da Silva muscled in on the medals with a 46.55 for bronze two years after he clocked what had been his best, of 47.40, from 2024, before his first sub-47 in heats today, on 46.98.
The podium splits:
10.34 21.99 (11.65) 33.76 (11.77) 45.61 (11.85) Southam
10.66 22.40 (11.74) 34.19 (11.79) 46.06 (11.87) Sommerville
10.83 22.54 (11.71) 34.54 (12.00) 46.55 (12.01) Da Silva
Southam and Somerville qualify for the solo 100m at World s/c titles in December, the cut at 46.09. Said the champion, speaking through Swimming Australia:
“It's good to back up after Comm Games and be consistent but it's been pretty hard to stay motivated and I'm pretty stoked with that time, to be honest … bring on the World Champs. The last time I raced short course was Short Course Worlds in Melbourne four years ago so I’m really looking forward to racing the big dogs.
“Comm Games is a good taste test for me with Matt Richards (Wales) and obviously Kyle. I know David Popovici (Romania) isn't doing Worlds but Jack Alexy (USA) is someone else on my list who I'm looking forward to racing. (After this meet) I'm just gonna go back home, probably go for a fish over the next few days, and, get out in the outdoors. But as for expectation – bring on the pressure. Sometimes it does make me nervous, but I love it, and I breathe it. I froth it.”
Women's 100m freestyle - Wunsch Whistles Inside 52 For First Time
Olivia Wunsch - a growing sprint force - photos by Delly Carr, for Swimming Australia
Olivia Wunsch, of Carlile, is in her first year beyond her teens and every season has marked progress on her way to berths on Dolphin title- and medal-winning relays.
Progress continued today when she stood out in a sprint class of her own, the 51.72 on the clock a winning time that lifted her from all-time Australia No9, on 52.04 last October on World Cup tour, to No7 in the sub-52 club, the names ahead of her marking the height of the wave she's catching: Cate Campbell (50.25 WR in 2017), Emma McKeon, Mollie O'Callaghan, Libby Lenton, Madison Wilson, and Bronte Campbell - every one with Olympic gold in their pantheons.
Today in Sydney in a final from which Alex Perkins scratched, Wunsch was, at half-way, almost a second clear of the gathering freestyle storm who followed her on to the podium: Lani Pallister, winner of the 200 and 1500m in one session on day 1 at the championships yesterday. By the close, the gold-silver gap was 1.46. The bronze went to the champion's teammate Jaime de Lutiis:
11.84 24.87 (13.03) 38.25 (13.38) 51.72 (13.47) Wunsch
12.22 25.74 (13.52) 39.45 (13.71) 53.18 (13.73) Pallister
12.25 25.74 (13.49). 39.71 (13.97) 53.46 (13.75) De Lutiis
Speaking through Swimming Australia, Wunsch said:
“It was pretty special to go under 52 for the first time. Doing 52 at World Cups last year was nice, but I think I surprised myself a little bit off the sort of short prep I've had into short course, but really enjoyed that. I had about three weeks off in total … I had my two weeks, and then ended up getting sick, so delayed my return back a little bit but, I actually did a Hyrox [a standardised indoor fitness race that combines running with functional workout stations] during my break … so probably kept my fitness up a little bit. But it's been nice to just get back in the water, swim a little bit less, and just focus on getting my speed and just enjoying getting back into it.”
Men's 50m breaststroke - Collett at the Double
National-record setter for gold in the 100m yesterday, Josh Collett, 22 and racing for Bond, kept training partner Gideon Burnes at bay by 0.02sec for a second crown on 26.09, the bronze to 31-year-old James McKecknie in 26.49, after 26.42 in heats.
Collett was just 0.07sec shy of the Australian record held since 2024 by Grayson Bell, now 29 and fifth today the other side of Joshua Yong in fourth. Collet's previous best was a 26.61 from 2024 on World Cup tour, while Burnes' s/c best had been a 29.53 from his 16th year back in 2021.
Collet and Burnes are now Australian all-time No2 and 3.
Men's 200m backstroke - Swinburn Into Sub-1:51 Club
Stuart Swinburn, of the City of Sydney Aquatic Club celebrated the win in 1:50.81 for a place in Australia's sub-1:51 club at No 5 on the all-time national rankings. He led from go to gold ahead of two other members of that sub-1:51 club (just not today): Griffith University teammates Enoch Robb, 1:51.65, and Joshua Edwards-Smith, 1:52.21.
Women's 50m breast - O'Leary Sprints To AUS No2 All-Time
Mia O'Leary, of Griffith, clocked 29.80 in heats to join the sub-30sec club as the 8th Australian to do so. Then in the final, she took the title in 29.72 to rise to all-time No2 in Australia, only Sarah Katsoulis' 29.50 from shiny suits 2009 ahead of her. A great of the stroke, Leisel Jones, from that same season 17 years ago, is now all-time No3, on 29.78. The podium today in Sydney was completed by Lilly Koch, 30.32, and Kyla Brown, 30.66.
