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Food poisoning caused by a pub’s dodgy chicken parmigiana couldn’t stop Australian swimming young gun Flynn Southam from pulling off victory and clocking a solid time in Sydney on Saturday night.
The 18-year-old won the men’s 200m freestyle at the NSW State Open Championships at Sydney Olympic Park, posting 1:48.28 to edge Max Giuliani (1:48.53) and Alexander Graham (1:48.71).
He then revealed to reporters poolside that he had woken up at his girlfriend’s place with food poisoning on Sunday morning.
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“There were freshly painted white walls in the bathroom,” Southam said.
“I ran in there and did a bit of artwork myself. I was vomiting my guts up. I lost about three kilos and was pretty low on energy.”
Southam was more than two seconds outside his 200m personal best of 1:46.24, but it was a strong time considering the time of year.
There are about three months until the Australian Swimming Trials, taking place in Brisbane from June 10-15, and four months until the Paris Olympics. The Olympic swimming program will begin on July 27, a day after the historic opening ceremony on the Seine River.
“For me to come here and do a time like that, all things considered I’m pretty happy and proud of myself that I can get through that adversity,” the Queenslander said.
“Usually when I’m coming into a meet my energy is up around that 10; now it’s about a five or a six.”
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Southam has shown most promise in the 100m early in his career. His personal best of 47.77 is quicker than Swimming Australia’s Paris 2024 qualifying standard of 48.06, whereas he’s not yet up to Olympic qualifying speed in the 50m or 200m.
But he said he was eager to pursue all three distances.
“I’m not putting any pressure on myself; I’m just showing up on race day and doing the best with what I’ve got,” Southam said.
“If the 100 is on, the 100 is on. If the 200 is on, the 200 is on. The goal is to have all three: the 50, 100 and 200. That’s going to make me an even better swimmer.”
