2025 Australian Swimming Trials – Day 5 Prelims 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
• Start List
• Heat Sheets
• Results
• Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4
  • Finals: Day 1 |Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4

Good Morning, folks, and welcome back to our coverage of the 2025 Australia Swimming Trials. Its been an exciting past four days as the stars have been out in force, but there have been some new faces emerging from the field as this is the perfect time to start your campaign on making the 2028 LA Olympics.

This morning’s schedule may hold one of Australia’s biggest swimming attractions, the chance to earn a spot on Australia’s 4×100 free relay. The Aussie Women had won the event at the last four Olympics and were unbeaten at the World Championships from 2019 to just last year when they were usurped in Doha by the Dutch.

However, before we get to the 100 free, the men’s 200 back will enter the water. Top seeds Bradley Woodward and Se-Bom Lee both qualified for the Olympic team last summer in Paris and will be looking to again don the gold and green cap for this event. It won’t be a walk in the park as Joshua Edwards-Smith, last summer’s 3rd place finisher is entered under the Singapore qualifying time and beat both of those seeded ahead of him at Australian Open Championships.

The tactics of the 200 back give way to the speed of the 100 free. Mollie O’Callaghan, fourth in the individual event in Paris by just .01, leads the way as the top seed, coming in with a time of 52.24. Fellow Fukuoka Relay members and co-World Record holders Meg Harris and Shayna Jack are the 2nd and 3rd seeds, respectively. With no Campbells or Emma McKeon both will be looking to cement themselves as the next in a long line of great individual 100 free swimmers. However, 19-year-old Olivia Wunsch and 18-year-old Milla Jansen may see this as their time to shine and will be looking to poach one of those spots above them.

The Para 100 backstroke events see Benjamin Hance and Madeleine McTernanan lead their respective events. Hance won gold in the event in Paris, but with the way MC Para points work, no one is guaranteed a spot in the final based on time or place alone.

The men’s 200 breaststroke sees former World Record holder Zac Stubblety-Cook return to the pool. After a rough 100, ZSC, now coached by Mel Marshall, will look to get back into form in his bread-and-butter event. Joshua Yong joins him under the qualifying time, but look out for Joshua Collett and Bailey Lello as the pair each finished higher than the top two seeds in the 100 breast finals.

The Women’s MC 50 butterfly sees a young field as Jordan Berryman, S7 swimmer in the oldest in the field at 19 and will be in a het with Paige Duffy, who is just 12 years old. The men’s events is also a small field but not as young, with Paralympic finalists in the 100 fly Col Pearse leading the way.

The women’s 200 breaststroke, with its formidable 19-year-old Australian record of 2:20.54 by the great Leisel Jones, is the last women’s event on the program this morning. As a note, if you are following along with the heat sheet, the event has been amalgamated so that there are just three heats, not four. Ella Ramsay and Tara Kinder lead the way, and both are already Singapore-bound by way of their 1-2 finish in the 200 IM. Both have looked great this week but so too have Sienna Toohey and Sienna Harben. Both are a bit off the standard to qualify for Worlds, but one shouldn’t count them out.

The 1500 heats have seen some parring down as just four swimmers will take to this morning’s singular heat, with the City of Perth’s Robert Bonsall leading the way.

Men’s 200 Backstroke – Prelims

• World Record: 1:51.92 – Aaron Piersol, USA (2009)
• Australian Record: 1:53.17 – Mitch Larkin, (2015)
• AllComers Record: 1:53.72 – Mitch Larkin, AUS (2015)
• 2024 Trials Winner: Bradley Woodward – 1:56.22
• SwimAustralia Qualifying Time: 1:57.98

Top 8

1. Bradley Woodward (MING) – 1:57.85
2. Joshua Edwards-Smith (GUSC) – 1:58.76
3. Stuart Swinburn (COSAC) – 1:59.22
4. Marius Boll (CARL) – 1:59.90
5. See-Bom Lee (SOPAC) – 1:59.98
6. Adam Graham (MANLY) – 2:00.08
7. Enoch Robb (GUSC) – 2:00.64
8. Clancy Lucombe (MARI) – 2:01.25

Top seed and 2024 Paris Olympian Bradley Woodward attacked the race from the get-go, opening in 56.93. Woodward, who placed 2nd in the individual 100 earlier in the week and missed the flags into the finish, had a much better finish this morning as he touched first in his heat, stopping the clock in 1:57.85,  a mark under the time needed for Singapore.  Stuart Swinburn, who holds an entry time just .07 over the Singapore standard, had a strong swim to stay within shouting distance, touching 2nd in a time of 1:59.22.

The second heat, like the first, went according to script, with the #2 seed and 2024 Olympian See-Bom Lee winning in 1:59.98. Enoch Robb wasn’t too far behind Lee, touching in 2:00.64.

Marius Boll was out to the early lead, hitting the 50 wall ahead of third seed Joshua Edwards-Smith, but last summer’s 3rd place finisher used strong underwater to pull himself away from the field and the lead at the 100 and never looked back as he increased his lead and won the heat in 1:58.76.

Women’s 100 Freestyle- Prelims

• World Record: 51.71 – Sarah Sjostrom, SWE (2017)
• Australian Record: 51.96 – Emma McKeon, (2021)
• AllComers Record: 52.06 – Cate Campbell, AUS ( 2016)
• 2024 Trials Winner: Mollie O’Callaghan – 52.33
• SwimAustralia Qualifying Time: 54.16

Top 8

1. Meg Harris (RACKL) – 53.01
2. Mollie O’Callaghan (STPET) – 53.39
3. Olivia Wunsch (CARL) – 53.65
4. Alexandria Perkins (USCS) – 53.67
5. Milla Jansen (BOND) – 53.78
6. Shayna Jack (STPET) – 53.79
7. Hannah Casey (BOND) – 53.99
8. Abbey Webb (CRUIZ) – 54.01

Mollie O’Callaghan got her hand onto the wall first, but it was much closer than the seed times would suggest. Alex Perkins attacked the race, exploding off the start and hitting the wall first ahead of Olivia Wunsch at 25.97, with O’Callaghan just in 3rd, although not that far back at 27.18

O’Callaghan, who finished 4th in this event in Paris but is the 2022 and 2023 World Champion in the event, employed her tried and true method of using a strong backhalf to run down those in front of her as she touched in 53.39, closing in 27.18. Perkins never really went away as she touched in 53.67 a new PB. It shouldn’t be too much of a surprise as she set the Allcomers record in the 50 fly earlier in the meet and became the 3rd fastest 100 flier on night 1. Wunsch, too kept herself in contact as she just got the touch over Perkins for 2nd as she finished in 53.65

Meg Harris, who was always a strong relay contributor, broke through last summer with an individual silver in the 50, and despite the training focus on the 50, she threw down a swift 100 time this morning. Out to a fast start, opening in 25.50, Harris didn’t seem to let up too much as she just continued her pace from the 1st 50 into the 2nd as she closed in 27.51 to stop the clock in 53.01, jumping ahead of MOC.

Milla Jansen was just .30 back at the 50, but she could stay in contact with Harris and slipped a little further back to stop the clock in 53.78, .77 off Harris’s time. That said, Jansen, who is 18, did cut .03 off her seed time. Fellow teen Hannah Casey chopped off even more time from her seed than Jansen did as she went 53.99, dipping under 54.00 as she was seeded at 54.41.

The last of the circle-seeded heats was a slower affair. Shayna Jack, the 5th place finisher in Paris, was out in 25.80. Jack, who is making her debut this week on the 5th of six days, was a little wobbly on the last 50, coming home in 27.99 to stop the clock in 53.79 and move into tonight’s final in 6th. Jack did have the benefit of seeing the previous two heats times, so if she is on form,she could easily challenge for a top 2 finish.  After tying for 4th in the 200 free final with Hannah Casey, Abbey Webb, who was out in 26.24, did her best to close on Jack, splitting 27.77 on the last 50 to stop the clock in 54.01, a drop of.05 from seed and securing the 8th spot in tonight’s final.

Men’s MC 100 Backstroke – Prelims

Benjamin Hance continued his assault upon the record board this morning. The top seed in the MC event, Hance, an S14 swimmer, broke his PB and WR in the event as he stopped the clock in 56.35, earning himself 1009 points.

Women’s MC 100 Backstroke – Prelims

While not a record, Jasmine Greenwood, the S10 swimmer from Woden Valley, cut .32 from her seed time, collecting 834 points, putting her ahead of fellow S10 Athlete Hannah Price, who collected 788 from her 1:11.29, which was .27 faster than her seed time.

Men’s 200 Breaststroke- Prelims

• World Record: 2:05.48 – Qin Haiyang, CHN (2023)
• Australian Record: 2:05.95 – Zac Stubblety-Cook, (2022)
• AllComers Record: 2:05.95 – Zac Stubblety-Cook, (2022)
• 2024 Trials Winner: Zac Stubblety-Cook – 2:07.40
• SwimAustralia Qualifying Time: 2:10.32

Top 8

1. Zac Stubblety-Cook (GUSC) – 2:09.52
2. Bailey Lello (STPET) – 2:12.57
3. Joshua Yong (UWSC) – 2:14.21
4. Finlay Schuster (NCOLL) – 2:14.33
5. Lachlan Gilbert (NCOLL) – 2:14.36
6. Joshua Collett (BOND) – 2:14.45
7. Joshua Anderson (BGRAM) – 2:15.26
8. Gideon Burnes (BOND) – 2:16.92

It was a fast prelims swim, but it was a very different race strategy from Zac Stubblety-Cook. The former World Record holder and Paris silver medalist in the event, who is known for his blitzing last 50, was out fastest, leading at the 50. Hitting the first wall in 29.77, Stubblety-Cook just kept his pace over the next three 50s, splitting 33.00, 33.45, and 33.30 to stop the clock in 2:09.52.

His time (or more so the strategy), the only performance this morning under the qualifying standard, could be a result of his change of coaching as he now finds himself under the tutelage of Adam Peaty’s former coach, Mel Marshall.

Stubblety-Cook, likely to make the team, could still be joined by a handful of swimmers. Bailey Lello, the 3rd seed, posted the 2nd fastest time this morning, winning the third of three heats in a time of 2:12.57. #2 seed Joshua Yong and #4 seed Joshua Collett were a little off this morning with Yong, despite placing 3rd this morning, adding 6.13 seconds to his seed, and Collett, just under 4 to slot in as the 6th seed.

The only swimmer among the top 8 to drop time was Lachlan Gilbert, who cut .49 from his 2:14.85 to stop the clock in 2:14.36 to earn lane 2 tonight.

Women’s MC 50 Butterfly – Prelims

The last women’s event on the Para schedule, the 50 fly prelims, went the way of Montana Atkinson. The S14 Athlete was the only swimmer to break 500 points in the field as she earned 778 point from her 31.42.

Men’s MC 50 Butterfly – Prelims

Despite not being a selection event, the men’s 50 fly saw some fireworks as Col Pearse broke, per the commentators, the Australian record held by Matthew Cowdrey, after whom the pool is named. Pearse stopped the clock in 26.11, with the record being held at 26.55, although the record books appear to list the record in the S10 category being held by Alex Saffey, although Pearse could have been swimming up a classification.

Women’s 200 Breaststroke- Prelims

• World Record: 2:17.55 – Evgeniia Chikunova, RUS (2023)
• Australian Record: 2:20.54 – Leisel Jones, (2006)
• AllComers Record: 2:20.04 – Rie Kaneto, JPN (2016)
• 2024 Trials Winner: Ella Ramsay – 2:22.87
• SwimAustralia Qualifying Time: 2:25.91

Top 8

1. Ella Ramsay (GUSC) – 2:25.55
2. Tara Kinder (MVC) – 2:26.59
3. Hayley MacKinder (GUSC) – 2:27.69
4. Amelie Smith (ROCKC) – 2:31.10
5. Olympia Pope (MIAMI) – 2:31.10
6. Julia Remington (ALLSA) – 2:31.71
7. Tilly King (BOND) – 2:32.97
8. Bianca Fuller (CRUIZ) – 2:33.23

Results Under Protest: Sienna Harben – False Start

Ella Ramsay, like Stubblety-Cook in the men’s 200 breaststroke, set out to claim the claim top lane tonight, and she did so. out in 1:09.07. Ramsay, who won the 200 IM and placed 2nd in the 100 breast, closed in 37.92/38.56 to stop the clock in 2:25.55. Her result was slightly delayed, as the facility has been experiencing some issues with touch pads not triggering, but Ramsay’s time, while over three seconds off her seed, did undercut the standard for Singapore.

Tara Kinder, the #2 seed, added just under three seconds to her seed, but secured the #2 spot in tonight’s final as she stopped the clock in 2:26.59, taking it out in 1:11.35. The second heat two had a bit of a delay in results as the 5th seed, Sienna Harben, was disqualified. Harben, who placed 3rd in the 100 on night 2 and 2nd in the 50, was called for a false start but is contesting the disqualification.

The top three seeds remained in order as Hayley Mackinder, who added just over a second to her seed, won the third and final heat in 2:27.69. With her seed time .64 off the qualifying standard, Mackinder will need to not only get past Kinder but also reach new heights in the event.

Men’s 1500 Freestyle – Timed Finals Early Heat

• World Record: 14:30.67 – Bobby Finke, USA (2024)
• Australian Record: 14:34.56 – Grant Hackett, (2001)
• AllComers Record: 14:34.56 – Grant Hackett, AUS (2001)
• 2024 Trials Winner: Matthew Galea – 14:58.96
• SwimAustralia Qualifying Time: 15:01.89

Top 8

1. Robert Bonsall (COP) – 15:39.58
2. Josh Bedford (V) (USA) – 15:45.39
3. Harry Hay (MLC) – 15:55.48
4. Corben Powell (MARI) – 16:13.89