2025 Australian Swimming Trials – Day 1 Finals Live Recap

2025 AUSTRALIAN SWIMMING TRIALS

• Monday, June 9th – Saturday, June 14th
• SA Aquatic & Leisure Centre, Oaklands Park, South Australia
• Prelims at 11am local (9:30pm ET night before)/Finals at 7:30pm local (6:00am ET) nights 1&2; 7pm local (5:30am ET) nights 3-6
• LCM (50m)
• Swimming Australia World Championships Selection Criteria
• Meet Central
• Livestream (VPN needed outside of Australia)
• Start List
• Heat Sheets
• Live Results
• Recaps:
  • Prelims: Day 1
  • Finals:

Welcome to the first finals session of the 2025 Australian Swimming Trials! We’re in for a great week of racing, as Australia’s best swimmers battle for their spots on the World Championships team.

Some of the great races we’ll get to see tonight included Elijah Winnington and Sam Short in the men’s 400 free, Kaylee McKeown and Mollie O’Callaghan in the women’s 50 back, and Lani Pallister in the women’s 400 free.

Women’s 100 Butterfly – Finals

• World Record: 54.60 – Gretchen Walsh, USA (2025)
• Australian Record: 55.72 – Emma McKeon, (2021)
• All-Comers Record: 55.93 – Emma McKeon, AUS (2021)
• 2024 Olympic Trials Champion: Emma McKeon – 56.85
• SwimAustralia Qualifying Time: 57.90

RESULTS:

1. Alexandria Perkins – 56.42
2. Lily Price – 57.82
3. Bella Grant – 58.26
4. Brittany Castelluzzo – 58.43
5. Abbey Connor – 58.46
6. Elizabeth Dekkers – 58.47
7. Olivia Wunsch – 58.58
8. Josephine Crimmins – 58.67

Alexandria Perkins kicked this finals session off in great fashion, swimming a new career best of 56.42 to win the women’s 100 fly by well over a second. It was a huge performance for Perkins, making her the 3rd-fastest Australian of all-time in the event behind only Emma McKeon (55.72) and Jessicah Schipper (56.23).

Perkins put up a very good swim, getting out to a 26.25 on the opening 50m, then coming home in 30.17.

Lily Price looked strong for 2nd, swimming a 57.82 tonight. That time importantly comes in just under Australia’s qualifying standard of 57.90, meaning Price will very likely punch her ticket to Singapore as well.

Behind the top 2 finishers, the rest of the heat were all 58-point, marking a very strong final to kick this meet off.

Women’s 200 IM – Finals

• World Record: 2:06.12 – Katinka Hosszu, HUN (2015)
• Australian Record: 2:06.63 – Kaylee McKeown, (2024)
• All-Comers Record: 2:06.63 – Kaylee McKeown, AUS (2024)
• 2024 Olympic Trials Champion: Kaylee McKeown – 2:06.63
• SwimAustralia Qualifying Time: 2:11.96

RESULTS:

1. Ella Ramsay – 2:09.21
2. Tara Kinder – 2:10.42
3. Jenna Forrester – 2:11.72
4. Isabella Boyd – 2:12.13
5. Kayla Hardy – 2:13.13
6. Amelie Smith – 2:17.31
7. Lexi Harrison – 2:18.14
8. Piper Asquith – 2:18.46

Ella Ramsay had the swim she needed to kick off her Trials. The 20-year-old firmly took control of the race on the breaststroke leg, then finished well on freestyle, getting into the finish in 2:09.21. She put together a well balanced race, splitting 28.10 on fly, 33.20 on back, 36.42 on breast, and 31.49 on free.

Coming in 2nd was Tara Kinder, who clocked a 2:10.42. Tinder was under that all-important qualifying time of 2:11.96, meaning she’ll punch her ticket to Singapore as well in likelihood. Kinder was particularly impressive on freestyle tonight, swimming a 30.92 on the final 50 of the race. This marks Tinder’s first time making a LC Australian team.

Jenna Forrester rounded out the top 3 tonight with a 2:11.72.

Men’s 100 Breaststroke – Finals

• World Record: 56.88 – Adam Peaty, GBR (2019)
• Australian Record: 58.58 – Brenton Rickard, (2009)
• All-Comers Record: 58.80 – Samuel Williamson, AUS (2024)
• 2024 Olympic Trials Champion: Samuel Williamson – 58.80
• SwimAustralia Qualifying Time: 59.75

RESULTS:

1. Nash Wilkes – 1:00.19
2. Bailey Lello – 1:00.47
3. Joshua Collett – 1:00.48
4. Joshua Yong – 1:00.57
5. Zac Stubblety-Cook – 1:00.58
6. Joshua Anderson – 1:00.66
7. Haig Buckingham – 1:00.90
8. Calvin Reed – 1:01.68

Nash Wilkes won the men’s 100 breast tonight in what was an extremely tight race wherein the top 7 finishers were all 1:00-points. Nash was leading the race from the beginning, getting out to a 28.12 on the opening 50m, then coming home in 32.07.

Bailey Lello took 2nd in 1:00.47, while Joshua Yong rounded out the top 3 with a 1:00.48.

Of note, former 200 breast World Record holder Zac Stubblety-Cook came in 5th tonight with a 1:00.58, missing his first bid to make the World Championships team. While ZSC is extraordinarily likely to be perfectly fine in the 200 breast later in the meet, he surely would have liked to have had a faster 100 than what he put up tonight.

Also of note, none of the swimmers in this field managed to achieve the Australian qualifying time of 59.75, meaning there won’t be any Aussies in the men’s 100 breast in Singapore.

Women’s 400 Freestyle – Finals

• World Record: 3:54.18 – Summer McIntosh, CAN (2025)
• Australian Record: 3:55.38 – Ariarne Titmus, (2023)
• All-Comers Record: 3:55.38 – Ariarne Titmus, AUS (2023)
• 2024 Olympic Trials Champion: Ariarne Titmus – 3:55.44
• SwimAustralia Qualifying Time: 4:10.23

RESULTS:

1. Lani Pallister – 3:59.72
2. Jamie Perkins – 4:04.03
3. Amelia Weber – 4:06.78
4. Molly Walker – 4:10.87
5. Tiana Kritzinger – 4:11.73
6. Jacqueline Davison-McGovern – 4:12.20
7. Hannah Allen – 4:12.41
8. Leah Neale – 4:13.87

No Ariarne Titmus, no problem. With the now-former World Record holder out of this meet, 23-year-old Lani Pallister picked up the torch for Australia, ripping a huge new career best of 3:59.72 to win the women’s 400 free tonight. With the performance, Pallister becomes the 7th swimmer in history to break 4:00 in the event.

As for the race itself, Pallister was very strong, getting out to a 1:57.33 on the opening 200m, then coming home in 2:02.49.

Jamie Perkins came in 2nd tonight, swimming a 4:04.03. Perkins was way under the qualifying time of 4:10.23, so she’s punched her ticket to Singapore as well.

Amelia Weber was excellent as well, swimming a 4:06.78 for 3rd.

Men’s 400 Freestyle – Finals

• World Record: 3:39.96 – Lukas Martens, GER (2025)
• Australian Record: 3:40.08 – Ian Thorpe, (2002)
• All-Comers Record: 3:40.08 – Ian Thorpe, AUS (2002)
• 2024 Olympic Trials Champion: Elijah Winnington – 3:43.26
• SwimAustralia Qualifying Time: 3:47.54

RESULTS:

1. Sam Short – 3:41.03
2. Elijah Winningt0n – 3:43.99
3. Benjamin Goedemans – 3:45.57
4. Matthew Galea – 3:48.12
5. Alec Mander – 3:49.23
6. Tex Cross – 3:49.81
7. Anders McAlpine – 3:50.57
8. Noah Kamprad – 3:52.23

In the battle of Sam Short and Elijah Winnington in the men’s 400 free, it was Short who got the job done tonight, swimming a 3:41.03. It was an excellent performance from Short, coming in just 0.49 seconds off the All Comers Record of 3:40.54, which Ian Thorpe set back in 2002.

Short put together an awesome race tonight, getting out to an aggressive 1:48.81 on the opening 200m, then coming home in 1:52.22 on the back half. Moreover, that performance comes in just 1.07 seconds off the World Record. Short holds a career best of 3:40.68, which he swam back at the 2023 World Championships.

Winnington came in 2nd with a 3:43.99 tonight, marking a great swim for him as well. The silver medalist in this event in Paris last summer, Winnington holds a career best of 3:41.22, which he swam back in 2022.

Benjamin Goedemans was pretty amazing as well tonight, swimming a 3:45.57.

Men’s 50 Backstroke – Finals

• World Record: 23.55 – Kliment Kolesnikov, RUS (2023)
• Australian Record: 24.12 – Isaac Cooper, (2024)
• All-Comers Record: 24.38 – Isaac Cooper, AUS (2023)
• 2023 Trials Champion: Isaac Cooper – 24.56
• SwimAustralia Qualifying Time: 24.81

RESULTS:

1. Isaac Cooper – 24.69
2. Ben Armbruster – 25.02
3. Bradley Woodward – 25.23
4. Kalani Ireland – 25.32
5. Enoch Robb – 25.54
6. Callum Halloran-Lavelle – 25.70
7. Thomas Henderson – 26.06
8. Marius Boll – 26.41

21-year-old Isaac Cooper put up a great race in the men’s 50 backstroke tonight, winning the race in 24.69. He touched first by nearly half a second, also dipping under the Australian qualifying standard of 24.81. That being said, Cooper has now punched his tickey to Singapore.

Ben Armbruster had a very nice swim for 2nd, touching in 25.02, but was unfortunately slightly off the qualifying standard.

Bradley Woodward rounded out the top 3 with a 25.23 after having gone 25.17 in prelims.

Women’s 50 Backstroke – Finals

• World Record: 26.86 – Kaylee McKeown, AUS (2023)
• Australian Record: 26.86 – Kaylee McKeown, (2023)
• All-Comers Record: 26.86 – Kaylee McKeown, AUS (2023)
• 2023 Trials Champion: Bronte Job – 27.73
• SwimAustralia Qualifying Time: 27.74

RESULTS:

1. Kayle McKeown – 27.33
2. Mollie O’Callaghan – 27.39
3. Alyssa Burgess – 28.03
4. Semra Olowoniyi – 28.29
5. Layla Day – 28.33
6. Emily Jones – 28.41
7. Hannah Fredericks – 28.43
8. Elizabeth Gan – 28.85

After the drama of her DQ and subsequent reinstatement in this morning’s prelims, Kaylee McKeown still got the job done in the women’s 50 back to end this first finals session. McKeown, the World Record holder in this event (26.86), swam a 27.33, which was more than adequate for what she needed to do at this meet.

Mollie O’Callaghan was right behind her tonight, swimming a 27.39 for 2nd. With these two advancing on to compete in the 50 back at the World Championships in Singapore, Team Australia will have an incredibly formidable duo.

Though she came in 3rd, Alyssa Burgess had a phenomenal race, clocking in at 28.03. That’s an excellent performance for the 22-year-old.