NSW State Open, Night 3 Finals: Jenna Forrester Claims Sydney Treble As Kaylee McKeown Sits Out Another Final

NSW State Open, Night 3 Finals: Jenna Forrester Claims Sydney Treble As Kaylee McKeown Sits Out Another Final

In-form dual World Championship medallist Jenna Forrester has put the finishing touches to a Sydney treble, with a nail-biting victory in the 200 individual medley on the final night of the NSW State Open.

The 22-year-old from Dean Boxall’s powerhouse squad at St Peters Western in Queensland, swam down fellow Paris Olympian Ella Ramsay in a medley thriller after Olympic bronze medallist Kaylee McKeown (USC Spartans, QLD) had withdrawn from the final after clocking the fastest morning time of 2:12.04.

Forrester winning in 2:10.21, swimming over the top of Griffith’s Ramsay (2:10.55) who had led through the butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke legs, with Tara Kinder (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) third in 2:13.19.

The 200IM win adding to Forrester’s dominant performance in the 400 IM (4:36.50) and the 400m freestyle (4:07.92) – cementing her places in the top eight in the world for both the 200 and 400 IMs.

Forrester unleashed her freestyle prowess over the final 50m lap – splitting 30.67 to Ramsay’s 31.79.

It was the second final McKeown had withdrawn from, also opting out of the 100m backstroke final after an impressive 200m backstroke win on the opening night of the meet in a time of 2:05.08.

Leading into the meet McKeown revealed she continues to battle injuries, having persevered through significant left shoulder issues, including a labrum tear before the Tokyo Olympics and a dislocation just weeks prior to the 2025 World Championships in Singapore.

“We are just managing my way through (towards the Trials in June) but the older I get the more injuries that keep coming up. I’m just trying to plan my way up to LA,” McKeown told Channel 7 during the recent Australian Dolphins training camp on the Sunshine Coast.

Meanwhile, Alexandria Perkins (USC Spartans, QLD), the star of the opening two nights, added a fourth title – claiming the 50m backstroke after impressive wins in the 50 and 100m butterfly and 100m freestyle.

Perkins (27.64) upset WA’s Paris Olympian and 2024 world championship silver medallist Iona Anderson (27.97) with Sydney University’s Elizabeth Gan (28.58) third.

The men’s IMs saw Nunawading’s Olympic training partners, New Zealand’s Lewis Clareburt and Australia’s Will Petric continue their duels in the pool.

Clareburt coming from behind to take out the 400IM in 4:12.36 to Petric’s 4:12.88, with Sydney’s Se-Bom Lee (4:17.74) completing the all-Olympian podium.

Petric (1:58.98) had won the 200IM over Clareburt (1:59.15) with Lee third in 2:02.81.

In two other impressive swims, Petric (2:12.94 ) had finished second to Olympic gold medallist Zac Stubblety-Cook(2:10.64) in the 200m breaststroke and narrowly second (1:48.05) to Kai Taylor (1:47.99) in the 200m freestyle.

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LIVE RESULTS

2026 NSW State Open, Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre, , Night 3, FINALS:

MEN

50m freestyle

1. Jamie Jack (St Peters Western, QLD) 22.05
2. Thomas Nowakowski (USC Spartans, QLD) 22.41
3. Ollie Moclair (Cranbrook, NSW) 22.59

1500m freestyle

1. Matthew Galea (St Peters Western, QLD) 15:29.88
2. Luke Higgs (Warringah Aquatic, NSW) 15:34.79
3. James Smith (Darwin, NT) 15:49.21

100m backstroke

1. Henry Allan (Bendigo East, VIC) 54.74
2. Stuart Swinburn (City of Sydney, NSW) 55.24
3. Rishabh Das (India) 55.51

50m breaststroke

1. Sam Williamson (Melbourne Vicentre, QLD) 27.40
2. Gideon Burnes (Bond, QLD) 27.69
3. Alistair Gorgijovski (Wests Illawarra Aquatic, NSW) 28.19

100m butterfly

1. Joseph Hamson (Knox Pymble, NSW) 52.69
2. Thomas Nankervis (Griffith University, QLD) 52.93
3. Luke Montes (Kent Town, SA) 54.20

400m Individual medley

1. Lewis Clareburt (Nunawading, VIC/New Zealand) 4:12.36
2. Will Petric (Nunawading, VIC) 4:12.88
3. Se-Bom Lee (SOSC, NSW) 4:17.74

100m freestyle Multi-Class

1. Tom Gallagher (St Peters Western, QLD) 53.14
2. Alexander Tuckfield (Aquablitz Toongabbie, NSW) 53.91
3. Jack Carey (SOSC, NSW) 58.89

200m individual Multi-Class

1. Beau Matthews (Aquablitz Toongabbie, NSW) 2:17.94
2. Col Pearse (Nunawading, VIC) 2:21.06
3. Ethan Blockey (Coffs Harbour, NSW) 2:22.68

100m breaststroke Multi-Class

1. Beau Matthews (Aquablitz Toongabbie, NSW) 1:09.72
2. Riley Moore (Woden Valley, ACT) 1:09.94
3. Ethan Blockey (Coffs Harbour, NSW) 1:16.59

WOMEN

200m freestyle

1. Milla Jansen (Bond, QLD) 1:58.06
2. Abbey Webb (Cruiz, ACT) 1:58.87
3. Amelia Weber (St Peters Western, QLD) 2:00.06

1500m freestyle

1. Tayla Martin (Carlile, NSW) 16:42.79
2. Isobel Mulcahy (Carlile, NSW) 16:54.65
3. Molly Young (Carlile, NSW) 17:11.72

50m backstroke

1. Alexandria Perkins IUSC Spartans, QLD) 27.64
2. Iona Anderson (Highlanders, WA) 27.97
3. Elizabeth Gan (Sydney University, NSW) 28.58

50m breaststroke

1. Mia O’Leary (Griffith University, QLD) 30.72
2. Sienna Toohey (Albury, NSW) 30.75
3. Sienna Harben (Griffith University, QLD) 31.14

200m butterfly

1. Bella Grant (USC Spartans, QLD) 2:10.43
2. Jess Cole (Carlile, NSW) 2:11.52
3. Elloise Doolan (USC Spartans, QLD) 2:11.87

200m Individual Medley

1. Jenna Forrester (St Peters Western, QLD) 2:10.21
2. Ella Ramsay (Griffith University, QLD) 2:10.55
3. Tara Kinder (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) 2:13.19

*Kaylee McKeown contested the heats clocking 2:12.04 but withdrew from the final.

100m freestyle Multi-Class

1. Emmeline Giraud (Maroubra, NSW) 1:08.42
2. Jade Lucy (SLC Aquadot, NSW) 1:06.12
3. Georgia Bealing (Aquablitz Toongabbie, NSW) 1:26.42

200m individual Multi-Class

1. Elodie Sebire (The Hills, NSW) 3:53.21
2. Sahrah Hancock (Darwin, NT) 3:40.54
3. Vanessa Ozols (Aquablitz Toongabbie, NSW) 2:59.16

100m breaststroke Multi-Class

1. Keira Stephens (Griffith University, QLD) 1:18.46
2. Sahrah Hancock (Darwin, NT) 1:48.37
3. Summer Klein (Knox Pymble, NSW) 1:32.20