Victorian State Championships: Paris Pair Olivia Wunsch and Iona Anderson Lead “Ladies Night time Out” In Spectacular Opening Finals Session
Paris Olympians Olivia Wunsch and Iona Anderson have been joined on high of the rostrum by fellow rising stars Sienna Toohey and Tara Kinder in what was a formidable “women evening out” on the opening finals session of the 2025 Mattioli Victorian Open Lengthy Course Championships.
Wunsch (Carlile, NSW) added Victorian State gold, bettering on her South Australian title (54.80) win in a season better of 54.16 (26.09), ending nicely forward of three-time Commonwealth Youth Video games gold medallist Innez Miller (Fenix, WA) 55.84 with Japanese Olympian Rikako Ikee third in 56.60.
LOOKING AHEAD: Carlile’s Olivia Wunsch main a NSW push to LA. Picture Courtesy Swimming NSW
The 18-year-old, who was a member of Australia’s gold-medal successful 4x100m freestyle relay squad as a warmth swimmer in Paris, represents the way forward for the Dolphins freestyle dash ranks.
A bunch that for the primary time in 13 years will put together for a serious Championship marketing campaign this yr with out both Cate or Bronte Campbell, Emma McKeon or Madi Wilson.
Wunsch will once more look to hitch Australia’s high three 100m feminine freestylers Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack and Meg Harris because the Aussie women look to construct on their Olympic relay dynasty.
Australia aiming so as to add a fifth straight 4x100m freestyle gold in LA in 2028 the place they’ll equal the US women unbeaten file of 5 consecutive relay gold medals between Rome in 1960 and Montreal in 1976.
Earlier within the evening, Wunsch (26.53) had completed third behind Ikee (25.95) and Japanese teammate Ai Soma(26.53) within the 50m butterfly last
Anderson (Highlanders, WA), the 2024 World Championship silver medallist over 100m backstroke, was equally spectacular, successful the 200m backstroke in 2:13.22.
MAKING WAVES: Albury’s Sienna Toohey maintaining abreast of the occasions. Picture Courtesy Wade Brennan Pictures.
But it surely was NSW rising star Toohey (Albury, NSW) who continued her spectacular begin to 2025, including the Victorian gold medal to her South Australian title within the 100m breaststroke in a close to private finest time of 1:07.19 (31.68) – a fingernail exterior her pb of 1:07.01 swum finally yr’s Olympic Trials.
Toohey bettering her backend after successful in Adelaide in 1:07.69, as she together with Wunsch, will chase a 3rd State Championship victory on the NSW State Open Championships later this month and her first sub 1:07 time.
The 15-year-old drew consideration by way of 2024 as she lowered Olympic champion Leisel Jones’ 24-year-old Australian Age file with an attention-grabbing third on the Trials behind Queensland pair and Paris qualifiers Jenna Strauch (1:06.90) and Ella Ramsay (1:06.94).
Toohey, who might be 19 come the LA Olympics in 2028, might nicely be one of many solutions to Australia’s lagging girls’s breaststroke ranks.
Kinder (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) confirmed she means enterprise in 2025, swimming a private finest time of 4:46.02 within the 400IM last.
The 18-year-old Victorian completed fourth within the 400IM last finally yr’s Olympic Trials.
2025 Mattioli Victorian Open LC Championships, Day 1
MEN
Freestyle
100m:
Max Guiliani (TSS Aquatic, QLD) 49.81
Gabriel Gorgas (Manly/Metro North East, NSW) 50.28
Jezze Gorman (St Andrews, QLD) 50.30
400m:
Hoe Yean Khiew (Malaysia) 3:53.29
Tommy Lane (Cheltenham) 3:55.18
Cameron Bladen (TigerSharks, VIC) 3:55.84
Backstroke
50m:
Juho Lee (Korea) 25.90
Callum Halloran-Lavelle 26.05
Will Sharp (Nunawading, VIC) 26.22
Breaststroke
50m:
Sam Williamson (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) 26.66
Lucas Matzerah (Germany) 27.60
Cameron Jordan (SOPAC Swim Membership, NSW) 27.85
WOMEN
Freestyle
100m:
Olivia Wunsch (Carlile, NSW) 54.16
Inez Miller (Fenix Swim Membership, WA) 55.84
Rikako Ikee (Japan) 56.60
800m:
Mackenzie Hunter (MLC Aquatic, VIC) 9:01.68
Dakoda Mathers (Nunawading, VIC) 9:04.28
Taylor Watson (Yara Valley Waves, VIC) 9:08.27
Backstroke
200m:
Iona Anderson (Highlanders, WA) 2:13.22
Alannah Banks (Surrey Park, WA) 2:16.16
Abbey Kearney (Nunawading, VIC) 2:17.46
Breaststroke
100m
Sienna Toohey (Albury, NSW) 1:07.19
Lily Koch (Nunawading, VIC) 1:08.48
Isabelle Rae (Albury, NSW) 1:10.97
Butterfly
50m
Rikako Ikee (Japan) 25.95
Ai Soma (Japan) 26.53
Olivia Wunsch (Carlile, NSW) 26.48
Particular person Medley
400m
Tara Kinder (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) 4:46.02
Taryn Roberts (TSS Aquatic, QLD) 4:57.42
Makayla Larkin (Cheltenham, VIC)n 5:02.46
FULL RESULTS
