WARRNAMBOOL rising star Isaac Jones (pictured) clocked seven personal bests on his way to seven medals at the Victorian age swimming championships.
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Jones, 17, won two gold and five silver medals at the Melbourne meeting to be named the 17-18 years boys’ age group champion on Sunday night.
He collected gold in the boys’ 17-18 400-metre freestyle and 400m individual medley and his haul of five silver followed in the 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 200m individual medley and 200m butterfly.
Warrnambool Swimming Club coach Jayson Lamb said Jones’ 200m butterfly swim turned heads.
Jones (1:59.98) and gold medallist Mitchell Pratt (1.59.68) clocked under two minutes. “Along with the two gold medals, the 200m butterfly was probably his best swim,” Lamb said.
“The bloke who beat him, they are always at each other.
“They both swam it in under two minutes for the first time.
“It got a lot of interest.”
Jones said he had set the bar high for the 200m butterfly.
“I thought I could go under two minutes at the start of the race, but to go under it was very exciting by .02 (of a second),” he said.
“The 400m freestyle was my other favourite.
“It was my first time under four minutes in that as well.”
Jones said he was humbled to win age champion honours.
“It was unexpected. I didn’t come in aiming for that,” he said.
“I went in aiming for personal bests and some medals.”
Jones, who will compete in the Shipwreck Coast Swim Series, will swim either the 200m butterfly or the 400m freestyle at the Victorian open championships in January.
Warrnambool’s Blake Turner was another south-west swimmer to impress at the Victorian age championships. He won gold in the 13-year-old boys’ 100m and 50m freestyle.
Blake swam the 100m final in 57.91 and the 50m final in 26.61.
Brittany Berger finished seventh in the girls’ 17-18 200m butterfly and Fraser Harrison clocked his second national time in the under 16 boys’ 200m backstroke.
Earlier in the week, Fraser recorded a national time in an under 16 boys’ 100m backstroke heat.
Lamb said he was pleased with his team’s efforts.
“It was a good hit-out. I don’t think the club has had four gold medals come our way from state for a while,” he said.
“The ones who had prepared the best are the ones who performed well.
“Meg Flaherty was good in the 200m breaststroke.
“She took five seconds off her personal best, which was good to see.”
justine.mc@fairfaxmedia.com.au