Abood secures Shanghai berth

NSWIS swmimer Matthew Abood has added his name to the Australian team heading to the 2011 FINA World Championships after a furious final in the men’s 50m freestyle.

Abood clocked a time of 22.02 seconds in the mad dash to win the national title and secure an individual berth at the world championships in Shanghai later this year. Abood was joined by fellow NSWIS athletes Eamon Sullivan and James Magnussen who finished fifth and eighth, respectively.

The other big winner from the night was Geoff Huegill, who claimed his first national 100m butterfly title in seven years ahead of young Victorian Sam Ashby. Huegill stopped the clock in 52.36 seconds, the second fastest time in the world this year, but narrowly missed out on automatic qualification to the world championship team. Huegill will have to wait until the conclusion of the championships to see if he has qualified.

Rising NSWIS stars Olivia Halicek and Daniel Arnamnart progressed to the final of the women’s 50m freestyle and men’s 50m backstroke, respectively, while Jessica Ashwood finished fourth in the women’s 800m freestyle.