Queensland Championships, Day 3: Self Coached Jamie Jack Fires Off Impressive 48.27, Wins 100m Freestyle From Kai Taylor48.96
Emerging Queensland sprint star Jamie Jack has taken a huge leap towards easing the pain of missing this year’s Paris Olympics with an impressive win in the 100m freestyle final at the 2024 Hancock Prospecting Queensland Championships, clocking a personal best time of 48.27.
The 22-year-old from St Peters Western was in the zone from the gun and owned the first 50m in 23.12 – powering home to beat club mate and Paris Olympian Kai Taylor (48.96) and New Zealand’s Carter Swift(49,64) at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre, Chandler.
ALL SMILES: Jamie Jack (right) and Kalani Ireland after the 100m freestyle at the Queensland Championships. Photo Wade Brennan (Swimming Queensland)
Jack, the younger brother of Paris Olympic 4x100m freestyle gold medallist Shayna Jack, finished seventh in the 100m freestyle final at this year’s Olympic Trials – hugely disappointed with his result and also seeing his club mates Taylor and Jack Cartwright on the team.
He comes into these Queensland Championships after designing his own eight-week program in consultation with his coaches at St Peters.
“Because it’s a long drive for me to St Peters Western I do a lot of my training at Chandler by myself and with the blessing of the staff at St Peters who knew what I was doing,” said Jack.
“Still swimming my main sets at St Peters with the presence of Queensland Academy of Sport staff and the assistant coach which is awesome…it has also been a good opportunity to learn about myself as well.
“Not everyone knows how to coach themselves and I wasn’t so sure I knew how to do it either. It involves a lot of race execution, and I share everything with the coaches and support staff to make sure I know that what I am doing is accurate…”
READY TO ROCK: Jamie Jack prepares for the 100m freestyle at the QLD Championships. Photo Courtesy Wade Brennan (Swimming Queensland).
Admitting there were a lot of fears and learning about handling the pressure of an Olympic Trials.
“I re-thought how much experience I really had and the fact that I hadn’t been up and around these big guys for so long and I only came out of Age Group swimming when I was 16 and left my school program then,” said Jack.
“So (Trials) was a real kick up the bum…to think about what I wanted for the future and to get into the right head space.
“I was quite mentally tired after the Olympic Trials but I knew all the good work I had done with Dean, I had a good upcoming year also knowing I didn’t want to get my hopes up and to be disappointed.
“It was a big letdown and realizing how tough the sport is and I had to rethink just how serious am I going to take this…
“But I am now working hard…with a combination of training in the gym and with a lot of testing and working on our speed and getting stronger, putting on some weight and some muscle….and it really works for me, knowing I could go faster and to put it together in race with the pressure…
“Swimming in the World Cups were really fun but Dean reminded me that (although) Short Course isn’t everything, getting some good race practice against some of the bigger names in the sport was really good.
“And coming into the Queensland Championships we wanted to give ourselves as many opportunities in the 50s so there was a lot more focus at this sort of meet…and I wanted to bring a lot more energy to my sprint 50, so to swim 21.94 and 21.74 (in the relays) was really quick and really promising as well….and dispelling any doubts that I was doing the right thing..
IN FULL FLIGHT: Jamie Jack in action at the 2024 QLD Championships Photo Courtesy Wade Brennan (Swimming Queensland)
“I always knew that I had a pretty good 50 and while that has been the big focus, Dean wants me in the 100 too because to make the 4×100 is a dream of mine and I will always know I will have a good 50 in me. And to also make an individual spot would be awesome…..”
Jack will line up in the 50 freestyle on Tuesday as will sister Shayna in the corresponding women’s event, with the brother-sister act chasing a rare family double.
Meanwhile visiting Japanese Olympian Rikako Ikee has scored a winning double – taking away the gold medal in the 100m freestyle 55.40 from Paris Olympian Jamie Perkins (St Peters Western) 56.25 and Sienna Walo(Southport) 56.31.
Before adding the 100m butterfly in 57.91 from Brittany Castelluzzo (Tea Tree Gully, SA) 58.37 and Paris Olympian Abbey Connor (USC Spartans) 59.46.
The men’s 100m breaststroke final saw Chandler local Bailey Lello add his second gold medal to the 200m from Sunday night in 1:00.11 from Felix Wilson (Rackley Swim Team) 1:01.55 with Joshua Anderson(Brisbane Grammar) third in 1:01.84.
With the women’s final going to Bond’s Sienna Harben in 1:08.89, from Hayley Mackinder (Griffith University) 1:09.58 and Monique Wieruszowski (New Zealand) and Tilly King (Bond) who dead-heated for third in 1:09.75.
The men’s 400m freestyle went to Thomas Raymond (Noosa) in 3:52.52 from Noah Kamprad (Bond) 3:53.52 and Zhao Yi Pu (China) 3:54.40 – and the women’s to Molly Walker (Southern Performance, SA) in 4:13.73 from Tian Muran (China) 4:14.17 with Castelluzzo third in 4:15.50 – after Walker’s impressive win in the 800m on night two.
I love this idea of a self trined swimmer in 2025.