Pallister hat-trick as Dolphins look good for Glasgow
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Lani Pallister has cemented her place as the stand-out swimmer at the Australian Open Championships, completing a hat-trick of freestyle titles with her crushing 1500 metres triumph on the final night at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre.
The 23-year-old was in a league of her own as she powered to victory in 15 minutes 44.07 seconds on Wednesday to add the long distance crown to her 400m and 800m titles.
Pallister was just one of a host of big names who demonstrated their preparations for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine look well on track, with Dolphins head coach Rohan Taylor saluting the “solid” performances.
Among other luminaries shining were Mollie O’Callaghan, who won the 200m free in 1:53.69, finishing a couple of seconds clear of the tireless Pallister.
“She’s a competitor,” said Taylor, of five-time Olympic champ O’Callaghan. “She is always going to go out there and have a real crack and she is laying down some real consistency — and the great athletes are consistent.”
Taylor was delighted to see 2024 world champ Sam Williamson returning from his knee injury to win the 50m breaststroke in 27.14sec.
“How good was it to see Sam back from injury. Tonight was another test for him and he held his technique at the right moment,” said Taylor.
In the 200m individual medley, five-time Olympic gold medallist Kaylee McKeown raced to victory in 2:09.22, while Alex Perkins proved her versatility by adding a 50m backstroke gold to her 50m and 100m butterfly gold and Lizzy Dekkers impressed with a 2:05.39 win in the 200m butterfly.
After Kyle Chalmers scratched from the morning heats, Jamie Jack stormed home in 21.71sec to take the 50m freestyle title and demonstrate that the work he’s been doing with world champion Cam McEvoy is bearing fruit.
Australia’s trials for the Commonwealth Games and PanPacs will take place in Sydney from June 7-13, with the games starting on July 23 and the PanPacs on August 12.
AAP