Fa'amausili Wins at World Junior Championships

Thirteen year old Gabrielle Fa’amausili is the new 50m backstroke World Junior Champion.

Fa’amausili led the race from start to finish with the quickest reaction time off the starting blocks. Her winning time of 28.64 was half a second outside the personal best time and New Zealand open record she set in the heat, but still enough to grab the win from Russia’s Daria Ustinova and Clara Smiddy from the United States of America.

Earlier in the day Fa’amausili qualified for the semi-finals of the 50m freestyle, but decided to scratch the event as it was due to be swum only 15 minutes before the 50m backstroke final. Her finishing time of 26.10 was a new national age group record.

Also in action on day five was seventeen year old Bradlee Ashby from the Fairfield swim club. Ashby competed in the heats of the 400m individual medley but was well outside his best finishing 17th in a time of 4:30.35.

The competition concludes tomorrow with Michael Mincham competing in the men’s 1500m freestyle.