All eyes on red-hot McEvoy at Comm Games swim trials

Joanna Guelas |

Cam McEvoy is set to explode at the Commonwealth Games swimming trials.
Cam McEvoy is set to explode at the Commonwealth Games swimming trials.

Can Australian swim star Cam McEvoy go even faster in front of a home crowd?

All eyes will be on the world’s fastest 50m freestyle swimmer when McEvoy competes for a Commonwealth Games spot at Sydney Olympic Park.

Wednesday’s splash-and-dash at Australia’s swim trials will be the 32-year-old’s first meet since he stamped himself as the fastest swimmer of all time at the China Swimming Open in March.

McEvoy.
McEvoy has a chance to break his 50m world record at the Commonwealth Games trials. (Jono Searle/AAP PHOTOS)

In Shenzhen, McEvoy powered to an extraordinary 50m freestyle world record of 20.88 seconds to obliterate the 17-year-old benchmark.

The Paris Olympic gold medallist clipped three-hundredths of a second off the record of 20.91 set by Brazilian Cesar Cielo back in the sport’s ‘supersuit’ era in 2009.

McEvoy will take the spotlight on Wednesday night but he’s not the only Australian looking to raise the bar, with Sam Short eyeing four individual gold medals at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games starting next month.

Sam Short.
Sam Short has been on-song at the trials, winning the 200m and 400m freestyle. (Dean Lewins/AAP PHOTOS)

The 22-year-old made it two from two at the Sydney trials after clocking a personal best of one minute 45.16 seconds to win the 200m freestyle on Tuesday night.

That feat followed another personal best of three minutes 40.67 seconds to win the men’s 400m freestyle on the opening night of competition.

Short will also race in the 800m freestyle on Wednesday before taking on the 1500m event as he eyes an ambitious program at the Commonwealth Games.

Lani Pallister.
Lani Pallister will be in action again at the trials on Wednesday. (Jono Searle/AAP PHOTOS)

The men’s 200m and 1500m finals will be held on the same day in Glasgow, but Short isn’t afraid of the tight turnaround.

“I don’t want to give up an event, give up this event, you know? Like put me in there,” Short said.

“I want to represent Australia as many times as possible. It’s not like a world champs where you have to be on in all your heats to make the finals, so there’s a bit of wriggle room there.”

Fellow distance ace Lani Pallister will also race on Wednesday, facing Mollie O’Callaghan in the women’s 200m freestyle.

Winning her 400m event on the opening night, Pallister also has an audacious program in Sydney when racing the 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1500 freestyle events. 

AAP