World Short Course Championships: Summer McIntosh and Lani Pallister Headline “Mini Blockbuster” In Women’s 400m freestyle in Budapest
The opening day of the six-day 2024 World Aquatics Short Course Championships, starting in Budapest tomorrow, will feature a “mini blockbuster” when world record holder and Olympic silver medallist Canada’s Summer McIntosh goes head-to-head with Australia’s 2022 defending champion Lani Pallister in the 400m freestyle.
McIntosh shone brightly in Paris this year winning three gold and a silver – starting her Olympic career with a bang – her silver coming in the much vaunted 400 freestyle behind Australia’s 2018 World Short Course champion and two-time Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus.
Lani Pallister and Mum/Coach Janelle Pallister. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr Swimming Australia
Pallister, herself a Paris gold medallist in the all-star Australian 4x200m freestyle, became the third Australian to win the 400 free at a World Short Course after Kylie Palmer (2008) and Titmus while Canada have yet to win the event since it was first swum 31 years ago.
Add in Italian veteran Simona Quadarella, McIntosh’s Canadian teammate and current world No 2 Mary-Sophie Harvey, US pair Paige Madden and Clare Weinstein and Pallister’s fellow Aussie Claudia Pol land it has the makings of a cracking first up final.
Current world ranked No 1, Pallister was the stand-out performer at the 2022 World’s – winning four gold – three individuals in the 400, 800 and 1500m and as a member of the 4x200m, freestyle relay team – claiming the Female Swimmer Of The Meet hands down.
She stepped aside from “The Race of Century” to give Jamie Perkins the second swim for Australia in the Olympic 400 freestyle, but returns for a battle royal with McIntosh – and the chance of becoming only the second female swimmer behind Costa Rica’s Claudia Poll (1995 and 1997) to win back-to-back 400s. McIntosh set the world SC mark in the event (3:52.80) in at a World Cup Meet in Toronto in 2020 with Pallister’s best sitting at 3:55.04, set in Melbourne the same year.
Australia has a rich history in the World Short Course Championships dating back to the very first titles swum on the Spanish isle of Palma De Mallorca in 1993 – an event former head honcho Don Talbot believed was a “must attend” event on the international swimming calendar.
Over the next 17 editions, the Dolphins have amassed a total of 271 medals (91 gold, 99 silver and 81 bronze), bettered only by the world’s top swimming nation, the USA with 381 (154; 125 and 102).
And it remains just as prestigious in 2024 with the Australian Team under the direction of Simon Cusack(Head Coach on the Budapest Team) hosting the traditional Gold Cap presentation yesterday in Budapest.
Specials guest for the luncheon were Australian Ambassador to Hungary, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia and Slovenia, Ian Biggs and wife Dr Christine Biggs OAM (pictured below with the team and Head Coach Simon Cusack)
The highlight of the night came with the presentation of new Gold caps to Bond University QLD pairJoshua Collett (Dolphin #860) and Milla Jansen (Dolphin #862), Trinity NSW’s Bella Grant (Dolphin #861), Melbourne Vicentre VIC’s Tara Kinder (Dolphin #863), Rackley QLD duo Tiana Kritzinger (Dolphin #864) and Lily Price (Dolphin #865), All Saints, QLD’s Enoch Robb (Dolphin #866), Brisbane Grammar QLD’s Ed Sommerville (Dolphin #867) and Nudgee QLD’s Harrison Turner (Dolphin #868) who received their first gold caps. Since 2012, the Dolphins have made their gold cap sacrosanct for open teams and today’s presentation included a motivational poem from esteemed Dolphin and four-time Olympian Bronte Campbell.
Isaac Cooper and coach Janelle Pallister. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr Swimming Australia.PG
All the action will take place from December 10-15 at Budapest’s Duna Arena – marking the first time Hungary has hosted the event in a 25m pool.
The Dolphins boast several Paris Olympians on their short course roster including Isaac Cooper who boasts one of the busiest programs of the meet.
Cooper is priming himself for the 50m butterfly, 50m backstroke and 50m freestyle with the butterfly kick-starting his program on Day 1 – the backstroke and freestyle his best events – with some unfinished business in the backstroke after the debacle that cost him the gold in 2022 when the flags failed to fall after a false start.
The 20-year-old from St Andrews QLD is the current World 50m Long Course champion from his title win in Doha this year and is also boasts the best time of the season having clocked 22.58 during the World Cup leg in Shanghai.
With South Africa’s Pieter Coetze and Russia’s Kliment Kolesnikov missing the meet, Cooper is front runner for the sprint backstroke but also enters the 50m free as the fourth fastest entrant and seems almost certain to add to his current haul of five world short course medals – the freestyle without 2022 champion and 2023 runner up, Paris silver medallist Ben Proud from Great Britain.
The women’s 50 freestyle will see Olympic silver medallist Meg Harris (Rackley, QLD) joined by Alex Perkins(USC Spartans, QLD) who will also line up in the 50 fly alongside Price. Meg Harris, Alex Perkins, Max Giuliani, Matt Temple,
The men’s and women’s 4x100m freestyle relays will also feature the opening day with rising star, Jansen, Harris, Pallister, Perkins and Neale forming a new-look Aussie squad – Harris the only member of the reigning Olympic champion team from Paris and Jansen with a pb of 52.31.
The men’s team spearheaded by 19-year-old teenage young gun and Australian champion Somerville, who will be supported by 20-year-old fellow rookie Turner and Olympians Matt Temple and Max Giuliani – Temple with the quickest pb of 46.63 followed by Somerville’s 46.84.
