Gold rush for Aussies on final night

Swimming Australia
Published: Jun 4, 2012 03:23:58 PM Updated: Nov 13, 2012 10:20:23 AM

Australia claimed all ten gold medals on offer on the final night of events at the 2012 Oceania Championships in Noumea, New Caledonia, including a clean sweep of the women’s 800m freestyle final.

Jordan White (8:48.99) Leah Cutting (9:00.23) and Emily Seymour (9:15.60) picked up a gold, silver and bronze respectively as they cruised to the wall in the 800m freestyle final for a clean sweep of the medals.

The Australian team missed just five medals as they continued their domination of the Championships, taking a total of 35 gold medals at the completion of the meet.

Rising star Ami Matsuo completed her sweep of the sprint freestyle events with a gold medal in the 50m freestyle.  Taking her individual total to three gold following wins in the 100m and 200m freestyle events. Touching just behind Matsuo was fellow Australian Nicole Mee in a time of 26.82.

In the corresponding men’s event Kyle Richardson was the only swimmer to go under 23 seconds in his 50m freestyle final, stopping the clock at 22.83 to take home the gold.

2011 World Championship swimmer Kenneth To took out the men’s 200m IM in 2:01.35 to win by almost four seconds ahead of teammate Daniel Lester (2:05.25) to claim his sixth medal of the meet.

Breaststroker Nicholas Schafer just held on for the win in the men’s 200m breaststroke final.  Schafer touched the wall in 2:16.67 just 0.03 of a second ahead of France’s Thomas Dahlia in 2:16.70 with Australia’s Nicholas Pregelj touching third in 2:18.19.

In the women’s final Jessica Hansen got one back on Lorna Tonks as she blitzed the women’s 200m breaststroke to take gold in 2:32.70.  Tonks had to settle for silver four seconds back in 2:36.80

Twenty-year-old Amy Levings took gold in her second IM event for the meet when she pipped her Aussie teammate Mikkayla Sheridan at the post.  Levings finished strongly winning the event in 2:18.91 with Sheridan just behind in 2:18.97.

Beijing Olympian Melissa Gorman looks on track for London following a gold medal winning swim in the women’s 10km open water event. While Rhys Mainstone battled illness, Trent Grimsey stormed home with the gold in the men’s 10km race.

The championship featured swimmers from Fiji, American Samoa, Australia, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Hawaii, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Northern Marianas, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga.

Oceania Team 2012:

Ben Edmonds (SA), Trent Grimsey (QLD), Robert Hurley (NSW), Daniel Lester (QLD), Rhys Mainstone(WA), Jarrod Poort (NSW), Nikolas Pregelj (QLD), Kyle Richardson (QLD), Nicholas Schafer (QLD), Kenneth To (NSW), Leah Cutting (SA), Melissa Gorman (QLD), Jessica Hansen (VIC), Amy Levings (QLD),  Grace Loh (VIC), Ami Matsuo (NSW), Nicole Mee (NSW), Emily Seymour (QLD), Mikkayla Sheridan (QLD), Lorna Tonks (QLD), Jordan White (NSW)