Victorian State Championships, Day 2: Hometown Hero Tara Kinder Takes Her Gold Medal Haul To Three With A Tough Double

Victorian State Championships, Day 2: Hometown Hero Tara Kinder Takes Her Gold Medal Haul To Three With A Tough Double

Hometown hero Tara Kinder has taken her gold medal tally to three on day two of the 2025 Mattioli Victorian Open LC Championships – winning a tough double in the 400m freestyle and the 200m breaststroke at the Melbourne Sports And Aquatic Centre.

The 21-year-old, who debuted for Australia at last year’s World Short Course Championships in Budapest, opened her home State Titles in fine style with a day one victory in the 400m individual medley in a personal best time of 4:46.02.

And there was no stopping her on day two.

Kinder (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC), who is coached by Olympic gold medal coach Craig Jackson, was a clear winner in the 400m freestyle, touching in 4:14.67, ahead of visiting Irish swimmer Victoria Catterson (4:8.43) and Nunawading’s Dakoda Mathers (4:23,96).

Before the four-time 2024 Australian Short Course champion staged a neck-and-neck tussle with Lily Koch(Nunawading, VIC) over the final 50 metres of the open women’s 200m breaststroke.

Tinder (2.28.33) fighting hard to out-touch the plucky Koch (2:28.93) with 100m winner Albury’s Sienna Toohey (2:30.31) a strong finishing third.

Meanwhile, Paris Olympic relay gold medallist Olivia Wunsch (Carlile, NSW) added the 50m freestyle in 25.15 to her impressive day one victory in the 100m – again keeping Japanese pairing Rikako Ikee (25.56) and Ai Soma (25.77) at bay.

The 24-year-old Ikee showing all her class in the 100m butterfly, winning in 58.19 ahead of Nunawading’s Isabella Boyd (58.84) with Wunsch taking home the bronze in 58.98.

While Paris Olympians Iona Anderson (Highlanders, WA) and Max Giuliani (TSS Aquatic, QLD) continued their winning form also – Andersson, the 2024 World Championship silver medal, adding the 100m in 2.13.22.

And former Tasmanian Giuliani, the 21-year-old Paris finalist, adding his main event, the 200m freestyle in 1:48.05, ahead of Cameron Bladen (TigerSharks. VIC) 1:49.10 and Hoe Yean Khiew (Malaysia) 1:49.91.

RESULTS

2025 Mattioli Victorian Open LC Championships, Days 1 and 2:

MEN

 Freestyle

100m: 

1. Max Guiliani (TSS Aquatic, QLD) 49.81
2. Gabriel Gorgas (Manly/Metro North East, NSW) 50.28
3. Jezze Gorman (St Andrews, QLD) 50.30

200m:

1. Max Giuliani (TSS Aquatic, QLD) 1:48.05
2. Cameron Bladen (TigerSharks, QLD) 1:49.10
3. Hoe Yean Khiew (Malaysia) 1:49.91

400m:

1. Hoe Yean Khiew (Malaysia) 3:53.29
2. Tommy Lane (Cheltenham) 3:55.18
3. Cameron Bladen (TigerSharks, VIC) 3:55.84

800m:

1. Lachlan Walker (TSS Aquatic, QLD) 8:09.33
2. Tommy Lane (Cheltenham, VIC) 8:13.56
3. Luke Higgs (Warringah/Metro North East, NSW) 8:17.97

Backstroke

50m:

1. Juho Lee (Korea) 25.90
2. Callum Halloran-Lavelle (Nunawading, VIC) 26.05
3. Will Sharp (Nunawading, VIC) 26.22

200m

1. Uho Lee (Korea) 1:57.04
2. Will Sharp (Nunawading, VIC) 2:00.74
3. Marius Bol (Carlile, NSW) 2:02.36

Breaststroke

50m:

1. Sam Williamson (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) 26.66
2. Lucas Matzerah (Germany) 27.60
3. Cameron Jordan (SOPAC Swim Club, NSW) 27.851

100m:

1. Lucas Matzerah (Germany) 1:00.57
2. Joshua Yong (UWA West Coast, WA) 1:01.21
3. Calvin Reed (Propulsion, VIC) 1:02.76

Butterfly

50m:

1. Christophe Elson (Vikings Swim Club, New Zealand) 24.17
2. Joseph Hamson (Knox Pymble/Metro North East, NSW) 24.48
3. Jack Carr (St Andrews, QLD) 24.69

200m:

1. Archie Kreutzberger (Nth Albury, NSW) 2:03.09
2. Hi Hen Goh (Malaysia) 2:03.31
3. Joseph Hamson (Knox Pymble/Metro North East, NSW) 2:03.34

Individual medley

200m:

1. Gabriel Gorgas (Manly/Metro North East, NSW) 2:02.57
2. Clancy Luscombe (Marion, SA) 2:05.20
3. Samuel Higgs (Warringah/Metro North East, NSW) 2:05.83

WOMEN

Freestyle

 50m:

1. Olivia Wunsch (Carlile, NSW) 25.15
2. Rikako Ikee (Japan) 25.56
3. Ai Soma (Japan) 25.77

100m:

1. Olivia Wunsch (Carlile, NSW) 54.16
2. Inez Miller (Fenix Swim Club, WA) 55.84
3. Rikako Ikee (Japan) 56.60

400m:

1. Tara Kinder (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) 4:14.67
2. Victoria Catterson (Ireland) 4:18.43
3. Dakota Mathers (Nunawading, VIC) 4:23.96

800m:

1. Mackenzie Hunter (MLC Aquatic, VIC) 9:01.68
2. Dakoda Mathers (Nunawading, VIC) 9:04.28
3. Taylor Watson (Yara Valley Waves, VIC) 9:08.27

Backstroke

100m:

1. Iona Anderson (Highlanders, WA) 1:00.50
2. Semra Olowoniyi (Nunawading, VIC) 1:02.90
3. Jessica Wilson (Nunawading, VIC) 1:03.65

200m:

1. Iona Anderson (Highlanders, WA) 2:13.22
2. Alannah Banks (Surrey Park, WA) 2:16.16
3. Abbey Kearney (Nunawading, VIC) 2:17.46

Breaststroke

100m

1. Sienna Toohey (Albury, NSW) 1:07.19
2. Lily Koch (Nunawading, VIC) 1:08.48
3. Isabelle Rae (Albury, NSW) 1:10.97

200m:

1. Tara Kinder (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) 2:28.33
2. Lily Koch (Nunawading, VIC) 2:28.93
3. Sienna Toohey (Albury, NSW) 2:30.31

Butterfly

50m

1. Rikako Ikee (Japan) 25.95
2. Ai Soma (Japan) 26.53
3. Olivia Wunsch (Carlile, NSW) 26.48

100m:

1. Rikako Ikee (Japan) 58.19
2. Isabella Boyd (Nunawading, VIC) 58.84
3. Olivia Wunsch (Carlile, NSW) 58.98

Individual Medley

400m

1. Tara Kinder (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) 4:46.02
2. Taryn Roberts (TSS Aquatic, QLD) 4:57.42
3. Makayla Larkin (Cheltenham, VIC) 5:02.46

FULL RESULTS