Australia has had a long and celebrated history in men’s 50m butterfly at the World Championships and at 29, Cameron McEvoy has added his name to the list of medallists, with a close-up bronze on night two of the 2024 Doha World’s overnight.
It was Australia’s third medal of the meet after Elijah Winnington (400m freestyle) and the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay winning close-up silvers on the opening night.
McEvoy (Somerville House, QLD; Coach Tim Lane) has joined the first two winners of the event in Geoff Huegill (2001) and Matt Welsh (2003) and dual silver medallist Matt Targett (2009 and 2011) with Huegill also adding a bronze in 2011.
The rejuvenated 2023, 50m freestyle world champion clocked his second fastest time ever, of 23.08 – in a blanket finish with Diogo Ribeiro (winning Portugal’s first ever World Championship swimming gold) in 22.97 ahead of the USA’s Michael Andrew (23.07).
Australia’s 20-year-old Isaac Cooper (St Andrews, QLD; Coach Ashley Delaney) was a close-up fourth, clocking his second pb of the event in 23.12.
Perfect trials for both McEvoy and Cooper – as they prepare for the blue ribband 50m freestyle later in the week – Cooper also swimming in the 50m backstroke.
It was McEvoy’s third individual World Championship medal adding to his silver in the 100m freestyle in Kazan in 2015 and last year’s 50m freestyle gold – giving him a full set, McEvoy saying he certainly didn’t expect a medal coming into this competition.
“I was 18th in the Fukuoka Worlds last year and I just wanted to improve, so making the semi-final was great and then the final, so to win a medal makes me excited about what’s to come.
“These World Championships are a blessing from a sprinting point of view, having the meet so close to Paris against a stacked field with depth is perfect. From my perspective I couldn’t ask for a better set up.”
And you have to feel for birthday girl Brianna Throssell (100m butterfly), who turned 28 last Saturday and 27-year-old Sam Williamson (100m breaststroke) –who both just missed the medal dais - finishing fourth by the slimmest margins respectively.
Throssell (St Peters Western, QLD; Coach: Dean Boxall) desperately striving for a major individual medal in her decade long international career, was an agonising 0.03 outside bronze – clocking her second-best time ever of 56.97.
And in further encouraging signs, Alexandria Perkins (USC Spartans; Coach: Mick Palfrey) also clocked her second fastest time of 57.68 to finish sixth in her first individual World Championship final as she continues on her way to the Paris Trials in June.
While Williamson (Melbourne Vicentre; VIC; Coach: Craig Jackson), swimming doggedly out in lane one, gave himself every chance – hitting the 50m turn in third – and only overtaken on the final touch by none other than Great Britain’s two-time Olympic champion Adam Peaty -who pushed him off the podium by just 0.15.
Williamson showed why he is on track to Paris, improving from heat to semi-final and again in the final – where he clocked his personal best of 59.10 – 0.11 faster than his previous best set in Tokyo last November – a huge boost for Australia’s Olympic medley relays.
Meanwhile in semi-final action:
- Night One 400m freestyle silver medallist Winnington (St Peters Western, QLD; Coach Dean Boxall) won the first semi-final of the 200m freestyle in 1:45.90 to advance to the final in fifth place – team mate Kai Taylor oh so close to the final -finishing ninth – just 0.17 outside the top eight.
- Emerging backstroke pair Jaclyn Barclay (St Peters Western, QLD; Coach Dean Boxall) and Iona Anderson (Breakers, WA; Coach: Harry Clark) have both advanced to the 100m backstroke final in third and fourth respectively. Barclay in 59.83 and Anderson in 59.94 – personal bests in the final will see these girls both challenge for medals.
- While Tokyo Olympic finalist Maddy Gough (Carlile, NSW; Coach Chris Nesbit) has qualified fourth fastest into the 1500m freestyle final after her foray into the 10km World Championship, finishing 18th on Port Doha last week; clocking 16:14.48 to finish second in her heat yesterday morning.
