Swimming stalwart Cameron McEvoy is vowing to continue his unusual path to Paris after upsetting Kyle Chalmers at an Australian championships.
As Ariarne Titmus noted his Olympic preparation was going smoothly with a powerful win, McEvoy bested Chalmers in their long-awaited showdown in the men’s 50m freestyle final.
The 29-year-old clocked 21.93 seconds ahead of Chalmers (21.98) and Tom Nowakowski (22.08) on Friday night at the national titles on the Gold Coast.
“It’s good, 22.1 last year and it’s always good to get to 21, it’s good to have that under my belt,” McEvoy told the Nine Network.
“There are eight weeks left and everything is looking good.”
McEvoy, who won gold at the 50m world championships last year and silver earlier this year, is revolutionizing training with an emphasis on out-of-water exercise and strength work.
“It’s very different than what would be done traditionally,” he said.
“It’s been a lot of fun developing this and collaborating… and creating something that’s exciting.
“I’m getting good results with it right now, so let’s see how far we can take it.”
Titmus won the 400m freestyle in style (fastest time of the year, three minutes 59.13) ahead of Lani Pallister.
Titmus’ seventh national title came for the first time.
“This is my first time in less than four (minutes) on the job, which is really good… it’s a good sign,” he said.
“I know a lot of people are willing to participate and I’m just trying to use it in the best way possible.”
Jenna Strauch completed her national breaststroke dominance titles with a third gold in the discipline.
Strauch (2:23.23) won the 200m breaststroke after previous victories in the 100m and 50m.
Matt Temple’s recent strong form continued with victory in the 100m butterfly, clocking 50.80 ahead of Shaun Champion (51.28).
“It’s exciting for the next few months,” Temple said.
“I’m just exploring options with the career… so I’m trying some new things.”
Other winners included Kaylee McKeown, who added the 50m backstroke to her growing list of achievements, and Will Petric, the 19-year-old who achieved his best win to date in the 200m individual medley.
AAP
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