15-Yr-Old Bryce Krause Nearly Erases Isaac Cooper’s Aussie Age Record In 50 Back

2026 Australian Age Championships

• April 11-18, 2026
• Gold Coast Aquatic Centre
• LCM (50 Meters)
• Meet Central
• Heat Sheets
• Live Results

The 2026 Australian Age Championships produced some impressive performances from the nation’s up-and-comers, with day one highlights spanning both the boys’ and girls’ sides.

We reported how 17-year-old Henry Allan busted out a new Aussie Age Record and All Comers Age Record of 1:57.00 en route to topping his age group’s 200m backstroke podium. His effort erased American Olympic icon Aaron Peirsol‘s former All Comers mark of 1:57.35 put on the books over 25 years ago.

You can read more about Allan’s electric performance here.

Racing in the 17-and-18-year-old girls’ 200m IM final, Rocky City’s Amelie Smith soared to the wall first in a tight battle with Manly’s Lillie McPherson.

17-year-old Smith ultimately touched first in 2:14.05 while fellow 17-year-old McPherson settled for silver just .18 behind in 2:14.23.

Also in the mix was 17-year-old breaststroke phenom Sienna Toohey, who rounded out the podium in 2:14.64

Smith’s performance represents a new lifetime best, erasing the 2:14.98 logged at the Australian Open just last week.

Somerset’s Koa Stotz did some damage in the 15-and-16-year-old boys’ 100m freestyle, stopping the clock at 50.62 as one of two sub-51-second swimmers in tonight’s final.

Joining him under the barrier was NASC’s Lewis Kreutzberger, who punched a mark of 50.82 as the runner-up. Both boys are 15 years of age.

Kai Perry, also 15, put up 51.29, good enough for bronze.

Kotz’s effort sliced .03 off his former personal best to remain Australia’s 5th-fastest 15-year-old boy. Kreutzberger also now joins him on the list, inserting himself in slot #8.

15-year-old Bryce Krause made some noise in his age category’s 50m backstroke, delivering a powerful performance of 25.97.

That fell just .17 outside world champion Isaac Cooper‘s Aussie National Age Record of 25.80.

Krause clocked the sole outing under the 26-second barrier, as Sommerville House Aquatic’s Thomas Symonds cleaned up silver in 26.65 and Timothey Wellm logged 26.59 for the bronze.

Ainsley Trotter, the reigning world junior champion in the 50m backstroke, reaped the top spot in the event for 18-year-old girls.

The Bond rising star hit a time of 28.61, well off her world junior title-winning mark of 27.88, but enough to dominate her competitors this evening.

Griffith University’s Isabella Sheldrick was next to the wall in 29.01, followed by Vicentre’s Jessica Wilson, who bagged the bronze in 29.58.

Visiting New Zealand ace Ariel Muchirahondo turned some heads in the 17-year-old boys’ 400m IM final, where the Kiwi crushed a time of 4:17.62.

Muchirahondo dominated the field, with Aussie Luke Higgs representing the next-closest performer in 4:22.59.

Charlie Austin also landed on the podium, turning in a time of 4:27.74, good enough for bronze.

Going back to Muchirahondo, his swim tonight easily overtook his former PB of 4:19.91, which he notched just last month. That had established the current New Zealand National Age Record, so the teen lowered that benchmark as he claimed the gold medal.