McKeown returns, Pallister stars at Swim GP

Detailed summary

As Kyle Chalmers led his team from the pool deck, fellow Australian stars Lani Pallister and Kaylee McKeown impressed at the inaugural Swim GP.

Lani Pallister swim a blistering 400m freestyle and Kaylee McKeown won the elimination 50m backstroke on night one of Swim GP in Melbourne.

The short and sharp competition concludes in Melbourne on Saturday night.

Lani Pallister produced the race of the evening and Kaylee McKeown made a successful return in the opening session of the inaugural Swim GP.

This is McKeown's return to competition after the backstroke star pulled out of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games because of glandular fever.

She won the 50m backstroke skins event, beating Iona Anderson in the last round on Friday night at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre.

Asked if she was having fun immediately after the backstroke skins, a breathless McKeown groaned "no".

Pallister won the 400m freestyle in 3 minutes 53.73 seconds, just two seconds off her personal best.

At the start of next month, the Australian distance freestyle ace will compete at the world short-course championships in Beijing.

The Wahoo team leads on 105 points, 11 ahead of Kraken, with McKeown's Tsunami team next on 77 and Pallister's King Tide scoring 63 and with work to do in Saturday's final session.

Opening of the article, excerpted from ABC News Australia. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.