Port Macquarie swimmer James Magnussen has shrugged off criticism of his coaching switch, to claim the fastest 100-metre freestyle heat at the national championships.
The 23-year-old clocked 48.76 seconds to top qualifying for tonight’s semi-finals, ahead of Cameron McEvoy with 49.07 seconds.
Magnussen was the first to admit before the meet he was unsure how fast he would race, following a back injury and new training regime under new mentors Mitch and Lach Falvey.
“It feels like the championships are just starting for me,” he said after his heat.
“I blew off the cobwebs a bit this morning, I feel good.”
Meanwhile fellow Port Macquarie athlete, Matt Banting, has been knocked out of the RipCurl Pro at Bells Beach this morning.
Banting took on Australian veteran surfer Joel Parkinson in round three and narrowly missed his two-wave total of 14.84.
