The 2026 Australian Swimming Trials are underway, and the first day of preliminaries has already seen some impressive performances. With the Commonwealth and Pan-Pac Teams set to be selected in the coming days, the competition is fierce as Australia's best swimmers aim to secure their spots. Here's a recap of the action from Day 1.
Men's 400 Freestyle
Sam Short dominated the men's 400 freestyle, leading from start to finish and finishing in a time of 3:45.17. His performance was all the more impressive considering he had a body length lead over his Olympic and Worlds teammate, Elijah Winnington, who finished 1.60 seconds behind. Short's time would have ranked 10th in the world this season, and he is the 4th seed in the 200 free, suggesting he may have been using this prelims swim to test out his speed for tomorrow's 200.
The second heat was a back-and-forth affair, with Anders McAlpine leading over Korea's Kim Woomin until Benjamin Goedemans came from near the back to win the heat in 3:47.25. Goedemans, like Short, will be looking for an illness-free summer after being a late withdrawal from the 1500 in Singapore last year.
Women's 200 Individual Medley
The absence of Kaylee McKeown, the reigning Olympic bronze medalist, opened up an opportunity for other swimmers. Ella Ramsay and Tara Kinder made the most of it, cruising to the top times in the event. Ramsay, a silver medalist from both the Paris Olympics and Singapore World Championships, hit the wall in 2:10.70, while Kinder stopped the clock at 2:12.05. Both will be looking to earn a spot on the roster, although all three will need to ensure they are under the SwimAustralia qualifying time of 2:10.49.
Men's MC 50 Butterfly
In the men's MC 50 butterfly, 21-year-old Lewis Bishop led the way into the final with 696 points, hitting the wall in 27.93. Just three points back was S10 swimmer Alex Saffy, who touched in 26.70, 0.07 ahead of Tom Gallagher.
Women's MC 50 Butterfly
Kael Thompson dominated the women's MC 50 butterfly, blasting her way to a 30.54 time and scoring 847 points. She is clear of the field by nearly 300 points, with Jordan Berryman and Sarah Howe earning 567 and 565 points, respectively.
Men's 100 Breaststroke
Sam Williamson, the All-Comers record holder, popped off this morning, hitting the wall in 59.11. His performance was all the more impressive considering he attacked the race from the get-go, using a strong start to power his way to the first wall in 27.25, a split that was the lone result under 28.00. Williamson's time clocks in as the 7th (tied) fastest time in the world this season, and ranks second among nations competing at Commonwealths, trailing only Adam Peaty.
Women's 400 Freestyle
Lani Pallister, the short course meters 800 free world record holder, had a controlled prelims swim, cruising her way to a 4:02.99 to earn the top seed in tonight's final. Her performance was all the more impressive considering she was closely shadowed by her training partner, Amelia Weber, who hit the 100 wall in 58.19. Weber, however, couldn't stay in striking distance with Pallister, who produced a controlled last 300 splitting 1:01.31/1:01.92/1:02.18.
Pallister will have Weber to one side tonight, but it was her other St. Peters Western teammate, Jenna Forrester, who earned the top seed as she posted the 3rd fastest time and 2nd fastest time among Australians. Coming off of the 200 IM less than an hour ago, Forrester used her 400 IM prowess to edge past Weber and touch behind Pallister at 4:07.92, slicing .95 off her seed.
In conclusion, the 2026 Australian Swimming Trials have already seen some impressive performances, and the competition is set to intensify as the swimmers aim to secure their spots on the Commonwealth and Pan-Pac Teams.
