NSW STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS, Night 1 Finals: Paris Olympic Hopeful Will Yang Out-touches Kyle Chalmers In 48.48 To Take The 100m Freestyle; Mollie O’Callaghan Wins Women’s 100m in 52.82.
SYDNEY’s Paris Olympic hopeful Will Yang, who admits he struggled to walk in the middle of last year, has upset Olympic and World champion Kyle Chalmers in the 100m freestyle on the opening night of the 2024 NSW State Championships at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic
The 25-year-old had a benign tumour removed from his spine 12 months ago and then suffered a STRAP Tear in his shoulder after returning to training and has only been back in the pool seriously since January.
Yang (SOPAC Swim Team, NSW), who was a member of Australia’s victorious 4x100m freestyle at the 2022 Commonwealth Games with Chalmers, Flynn Southam and Zac Incerti in Birmingham clocked his fastest time of the year, touching in 48.48 – marginally quicker than his winning time of 48.52 from last month’s Victorian Championships.
Chalmers (Marion, SA), who was out quickest in 23.48 to Yang’s 23.52, finished second in 48.53, with his German training partner Josha Salchow third in 48.79.
Earlier this month, news broke in Adelaide that Chalmers long-time coach Peter Bishop had been stood down from his role as Head Coach of the South Australian Institute of Sport (SASI) and also as Chalmers coach and he was subject of an internal inquiry.
SASI announced it had had launched an investigation into Bishop and had relieved him of his regular coaching duties and that Craig Stewart had been promoted to the role of head coach, with Bishop re-assigned into a role focusing on developing talent and strategies as SASI aims to maximise success during the 2028 and 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games cycles.
Meanwhile in the women’s 100m freestyle final it was two-time World Champion Mollie O’Callaghan (St Peters Western, QLD) who touched first in 52.82, clocking her fastest time of the season and her fastest time since defending her world title in Fukuoka last year.
Second home and proving she will be keeping the pressure on the young guns was 2013 World Champion, 29-year-old Bronte Campbell (Cruiz, ACT) in 53.50 with Olympic champion Emma McKeon (Griffith University, QLD), the fastest qualifier in the morning in 53.46, third home in 53.70.
But it was Yang who provided the story of the day, speaking to reporters after his morning heat swim and revealing his ordeal to recover from his back surgery and shoulder complications.
“I haven’t been racing for about a year and only recently got back into training,” said Yang, who trains under Adam Kable at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre.
“I had the back surgery and then tore my shoulder and only started training in January.
“I had a tumour on my spinal canal, and it was on the nerve, and it got that bad that I couldn’t really walk so I had to get the surgery done and I was so glad I did.
“I got lucky too with less than 10 days between the diagnosis and the surgery because it was an urgent case, and everything was going really well with the recovery.
“But with four to five months without exercise and getting back into my routine my shoulder couldn’t take the load and then I suffered a SLAP Tear (Separation of the cartilage from the bone inside the shoulder) in November.
“But once again I was lucky it healed itself.”
Yang admits he has a long way to go before he can consider himself a chance of going to Paris.
“From my perspective things have changed a lot after what I went through last year and at the moment, I’m just happy to be healthy and enjoying the sport,” said Yang.
“With my fitness I’m pretty much back to where I was and (regarding the Olympic Trials in June) I have some time, but there’s a long way to go.
“I am proud that I would not have let the surgery or any setbacks to frame who I am or my career, I think I’m tougher mentally than that….”
Event 8 Women 100 LC Meter Freestyle
1 O’CALLAGHAN, MOLLIE 19 STPET 53.97 52.82 r:+0.71 26.15 52.82 (26.67)
2 CAMPBELL, BRONTE 29 CRUIZ 54.91 53.50 r:+0.71 25.91 53.50 (27.59)
3 MCKEON, EMMA 29 GRIFFITH UNI 53.46 53.70 r:+0.67 25.84 53.70 (27.86)
4 JANSEN, MILLA 17 BOND 54.89 54.24 r:+0.68 26.25 54.24 (27.99)
5 CASTELLUZZO, BRITTANY 23 TTG 55.02 54.89 r:+0.63 26.47 54.89 (28.42)
6 PALLISTER, LANI 21 GRIFFITH UNI 55.53 55.17 r:+0.68 27.36 55.17 (27.81)
7 DE LUTIIS, JAIMIE 18 WIAQ 55.29 55.50 r:+0.65 26.91 55.50 (28.59)
8 O’LEARY, MIA 21 BOND 55.24 55.68 r:+0.70 27.09 55.68 (28.59)
9 PERKINS, ALEXANDRIA 23 USCS 55.79 55.87 r:+0.68 26.96 55.87 (28.91)
9 CASEY, HANNAH 17 BOND 55.79 55.87 r:+0.77 27.07 55.87 (28.80)
Event 9 Men 100 LC Meter Freestyle
1 YANG, WILLIAM 25 SOSC 48.62 48.48 r:+0.65 23.52 48.48 (24.96)
2 CHALMERS, KYLE 25 MARI 48.36 48.53 r:+0.67 23.48 48.53 (25.05)
3 SALCHOW, JOSHA 24 GER 49.66 48.79 r:+0.69 23.54 48.79 (25.25)
4 TEMPLE, MATTHEW 24 MARI 49.50 49.25 r:+0.62 23.90 49.25 (25.35)
5 DA SILVA, MARCUS 17 CRAN 50.08 49.79 r:+0.73 24.32 49.79 (25.47)
6 SIMPSON, CODY 27 GRIFFITH UNI 49.86 49.82 r:+0.64 24.04 49.82 (25.78)
7 SOUTHAM, FLYNN 18 BOND 50.08 49.87 r:+0.66 24.23 49.87 (25.64)
8 ANDREA, DYLAN 20 MARI 50.16 50.32 r:+0.66 24.25 50.32 (26.07)
9 GRAHAM, ALEXANDER 28 MIAMI 50.17 50.44 r:+0.80 24.90 50.44 (25.54)
10 COOPER, ISAAC 20 STAND 49.97 50.56 r:+0.67 23.69 50.56 (26.87)
More to come….
