He is the new kid on the block who stunned world champion James Magnussen at the Commonwealth Games trials, but Cameron McEvoy does not care which one of them stands on top of the podium in Glasgow.
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McEvoy and Magnussen took on one another for the first time since the national titles when the Australian swimming team held a grand prix meet at the AIS in Canberra on Saturday. As was the case last month in Brisbane, McEvoy claimed victory in the men's 100m freestyle in the morning session, with Kenneth To splitting himself and Magnussen in the top three.
The times were largely irrelevant, given the swimmers are in the midst of a training block, but McEvoy was pleased with his form, stopping the clock in 49.11 seconds, outside his personal best of 47.65 seconds.
McEvoy hopes he and Magnussen can work together - along with Tommaso D'Orsogna and To - to get the Australian team off to a flying start at the Commonwealth Games in the men's 4 x 100m relay.
"We are both going out there to better what times we've previously done in the past and it's always good to have that world-class competition on your doorstep,'' McEvoy said. "If I win or he wins, it doesn't really matter, Australia's still going to win and that's the overall consensus of what you want at the Commonwealth Games.''
"It's going to be great, all four of our times are sub-49 [seconds] and it's on the first night of competition as well.''
Magnussen still has the fastest time this year of 47.59 seconds and has been undergoing altitude training in Thredbo.
McEvoy, who turned 20 this week, was not sure what sort of form he would be in, but was pleasantly surprised with his time.
"I haven't been doing many sprints in training, so to do that time today was a relief,'' he said. "I was unsure of where I was in terms of speed. To do that sort of time was very satisfying.''
Meanwhile, world champion and Olympic gold medallist Cate Campbell posted her second-fastest 100-metre freestyle of the year and the third-fastest in the world this year. She produced a time of 52.74 seconds off the back of 10 days of altitude training at Thredbo, having already swum two sharp 50-metre freestyles in the morning session.
More than 80 of Australia’s best swimmers were in action at the AIS pool in the first of three grand prix meets to be held over the next two months.
