2026 Australian Open: Day Three Finals Recap

2026 AUSTRALIAN OPEN

• Monday, April 6th – Wednesday, April 8th
• Gold Coast Aquatic Centre, Southport, Queensland, Australia
• Prelims at 9am local (7pm ET previous night)/Finals at 6pm local (4am ET)
• LCM (50m)
• SwimSwam Preview #1
• SwimSwam Preview #2
• Meet Central
• Start List
• Day 1 Recap/Day 2 Recap
• Live Results
• Livestream (Aussie only or use VPN)

MEN’S 50 BREAST – FINAL

• Australian Record – 26.32, Sam Williamson, 2024
• Oceanian Record – 26.32, Sam Williamson (AUS), 2024

GOLD – Sam Williamson, 27.14
SILVER – Gideon Burnes, 27.40
BRONZE – Joshua Anderson, 27.66

The men’s 50m breaststroke kicked off tonight’s final, with 2024 world champion Sam Williamson once again proving he’s back to form after having missed last year’s championship season due to a knee injury.

The 28-year-old athlete representing Melbourne Vicentre got it done for gold in a mark of 27.14, a result .01 inside his previous season-best of 27.15 put up at February’s Vic Open.

Silver tonight went to Gideon Burnes who hit 27.40 after taking the 100m breast gold earlier in this competition. Brisbane Grammar’s Joshua Anderson rounded out the podium in 27.66.

Williamson is the reigning Aussie national record holder and Oceanian record holder in this sprint, courtesy of the 26.32 he scorched at the 2024 World Championships.

WOMEN’S 200 FLY – FINAL

• Australian Record – 2:03.41, Jessicah Schipper, 2009
• Oceanian Record – 2:03.41, Jessicah Schipper (AUS), 2009

GOLD – Elizabeth Dekkers, 2:05.39
SILVER – Bella Grant, 2:09.97
BRONZE – Poppy Stephen, 2:10.20

Olympic finalist and Commonwealth Games champion Elizabeth Dekkers was the runaway winner of the women’s 200m butterfly, turning in a statement-making swim of 2:05.39 to put the world on notice.

21-year-old Dekkers split 28.60/31.66 (1:00.26)/32.08/33.05 to beat the pack by well over 4 seconds en route to logging a new season-best. Entering this competition, the St. Peters Western ace was ranked 7th worldwide as a result of the 2:07.69 she delivered at the Japan Open last December.

Her effort tonight, however, now rockets her up the rankings to take over slot #3, sitting only behind Olympic multi-medalists Summer McIntosh of Canada and Regan Smith of the United States.

Dekkers’ time also checks in as the 3rd-fastest of her young career, one which boasts a personal best of 2:05.20 from the 2024 edition of this competition.

MEN’S 100 FLY – FINAL

• Australian Record – 50.25, Matt Temple, 2023
• Oceanian Record – 50.25, Matt Temple (AUS), 2023

GOLD – Matt Temple, 51.60
SILVER – Harrison Turner, 51.70
BRONZE – Ben Armbruster, 52.33

Two men dipped under the 52-second threshold in tonight’s 100m butterfly final, with Olympic medalist Matt Temple getting to the wall first in 51.60.

Harrison Turner, the surprise 200m fly World Championships bronze medalist from last year, registered 51.70 as a close runner-up, and Bond’s Ben Armbruster bagged the bronze in 52.33.

Temple is the Aussie national record holder and Oceanian record holder in this event, owning a career-swiftest mark of 50.25 from the 2023 Japan Open.

The Marion ace has already put up a speedy season-best of 50.92 at last year’s Japan Open to rank 3rd in the world at the moment.

For Nudgee College’s Turner, his effort this evening represents the 3rd-best of his career, within striking distance of his fastest ever performance of 51.49 from last year’s Queensland Championship

WOMEN’S 50 BACK – FINAL

• Australian Record – 26.86, Kaylee McKeown, 2023
• Oceanian Record – 26.86, Kaylee McKeown (AUS), 2023

GOLD – Alexandria Perkins, 27.79
SILVER – Savannah Martin (NZL), 28.03
BRONZE – Mackenzie Burns, 28.25

We reported how World Record holder Kaylee McKeown opted for the 200m IM instead of the 50m back, which left the door open for USC Spartans’ Alexandria Perkins to grab the gold.

25-year-old Perkins followed up her 50m fly gold here with a solid in-season performance of 27.79 to represent the sole competitor of the field to delve under the 28-second barrier. That is the 3rd-best of her career, within striking distance of the 27.64 PB she established at last month’s NSW State Open Championships.

Savannah Martin of New Zealand was next to the wall in 28.03, while Mackenzie Burns also landed on the podium in 28.25.

Of note, Kyle Chalmers‘ wife, Ingebord Loeyning of Norway, took the B-final in 28.95 after giving birth to their first child last August.

MEN’S 400 IM – FINAL

• Australian Record – 4:09.27, Brendon Smith, 2021
• Oceanian Record – 4:08.70, Lewis Clareburt, 2022

GOLD – Lewis Clareburt (NZL), 4:10.10
SILVER – William Petric, 4:10.20
BRONZE – Se-Bom Lee, 4:17.40

Visiting Kiwi Olympian Lewis Clareburt continues to impress, with the 26-year-old newly minted national record holder the 200m free producing a stand-up in-season swim of 4:10.10 to win the men’s 400m IM.

That outing was in the sights of his Oceanian record of 4:08.72 notched for gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, so the star is looking primed to do some damage at this year’s edition of that quadrennial event.

Aussie William Petric settled for silver only .10 behind Clareburt, hitting 4:10.20 to put the national record of 4:09.27 on notice. That benchmark belongs to Tokyo Olympian Brendon Smith who finished off the podium tonight in 4:20.47 as the 4th-place finisher.

Ahead of him was two-time Olympian Se-Bom Lee who secured bronze in 4:17.40.

Going back to Petric, the 21-year-old swimmer trains alongside Clareburt in Nunawading, so that locale is becoming quite the IM hotbed, with Petric’s performance earning him a new lifetime best. His former PB sat at the 4:10.27 put up at last year’s Japan Open.

Clareburt now ranks 5th in the world and Petric is ranked 6th on the season.

WOMEN’S 200 FREE – FINAL

• Australian Record – 1:52.23, Ariarne Titmus, 2024
• Oceanian Record – 1:52.23, Ariarne Titmus (AUS), 2024

GOLD – Mollie O’Callaghan, 1:53.69
SILVER – Lani Pallister, 1:55.66
BRONZE – Erika Fairweather (NZL), 1:55.72

The women’s 200m free field was the definition of elite, with multiple Olympians and World Championship swimmers among the mix.

When the dust settled, however, it was 22-year-old Mollie O’Callaghan who got it decisively done for gold, putting up a strong statement of 1:53.69.

Splitting 26.54/28.73 (55.27)/29.49/28.93, the Dean Boxall-trained superstar beat the field by nearly two seconds, with teammate Lani Pallister next to the wall in 1:55.66.

Erika Fairweather of New Zealand secured the bronze in 1:55.72.

MOC is a former World Record holder in this event and the reigning Olympic champion. Her PB remains at the 1:52.48 notched at the 2024 Olympic Trials, the WR before retired champion Ariarne Titmus brought that down to 1:52.23.  Her outing of 1:53.27 in the Paris final brought her the gold ahead of Titmus, however.

Pallister’s time tonight represents the 4th fastest of her career, while 22-year-old Fairweather’s outing was less than half a second outside her New Zealand national record of 1:55.44 put on the books in 2023.

Milla Jansen may have finished off the podium in 4th this evening but her time of 1:57.29 crushed her previous PB of 1:58.06 from just last month.

As for MOC, her time this evening was just off the season-best of 1:53.52 registered at last month’s China Open to wear the world rankings crown.

MEN’S 50 FREE – FINAL

• Australian Record – 20.88, Cameron McEvoy, 2026
• Oceanian Record – 20.88, Cameron McEvoy (AUS), 2026

GOLD – Jamie Jack, 21.71
SILVER – Thomas Robinson, 22.32
BRONZE – Ben Armbruster, 22.45

23-year-old Jamie Jack of St. Peters Western proved too quick to catch in the men’s splash n’ dash, ripping the sole outing of the field under the 22-second threshold.

Jack crushed 21.71 for the gold, leaving his competitors in the dust. Thomas Robinson was left with the silver in 22.32 as Ben Armbruster followed up his 100m fly with a 22.45 result for bronze in this race.

Jack’s time checks in as the 5th-best of his career. He’s been as speedy as 21.43, a mark he produced at last year’s U.S. Summer Championships. He sits just outside the list of top 5 performers worldwide on the season, with countryman Cameron McEvoy having scored a new World Record of 20.88 at the China Open.

WOMEN’S 200 IM – FINAL

• Australian Record -2:06.63, Kaylee McKeown, 2024
• Oceanian Record – 2:06.63, Kaylee McKeown (AUS), 2024

GOLD – Kaylee McKeown, 2:09.22
SILVER – Ella Ramsay, 2:09.94
BRONZE – Jenna Forrester, 2:11.97

Nothing too crazy transpired in the women’s 200m IM, with national record holder Kaylee McKeown touching first in 2:09.22.

That held off Griffith University’s Ella Ramsay who logged 2:09.94 for just her 3rd swim under the 2:10 barrier.

Jenna Forrester, who raced in the 200m free earlier, grabbed the bronze in 2:11.97. She is the reigning World Championships silver medalist in the 400m IM.

WOMEN’S 50 BREAST – FINAL

• Australian Record – 30.05, Chelsea Hodges, 2022
• Oceanian Record – 30.05, Chelsea Hodges (AUS), 2022

GOLD – Sienna Toohey, 30.39
SILVER – Mia O’Leary, 30.75
BRONZE – Lily Koch, 31.25

17-year-old Sienna Toohey crushed a new personal best of 30.39 to win gold in the women’s 50m breaststroke, getting to the wall in a healthy advantage over the field.

Toohey entered this meet with a PB of 30.58 registered at last year’s World Championships, so the teen is steadily heading towards the 30-second barrier.

Toohey’s performance overtook the legendary breaststroker Leiston Pickett‘s Age Record for 17-year-olds, a standard which stood at 30.90 since the 2009 Australian Championships.

Mia O’Leary, tonight’s silver medalist, was near her lifetime best of 30.72, delivering an effort of 30.75. Lily Koch, another 17-year-old, rounded out the podium in 31.25.

Toohey now ranks 5th in the world this season.

MEN’S 200 BACK – FINAL

• Australian Record – 1:53.17, Mitch Larkin, 2015
• Oceanian Record – 1:53.17, Mitch Larkin (AUS), 2015

GOLD – Stuart Swinburn, 1:58.25
SILVER – Matthew Magnussen, 1:59.96
BRONZE – Enoch Robb, 2:00.36

The men’s 200m back was on the subdued side, with just two swimmers breaking the 2:00 barrier.

Stuart Swinburn topped the podium in 1:58.25 as Matthew Magnussen secured silver in 1:59.96. Enoch Robb captured the bronze in 2:00.36.

WOMEN’S 1500 FREE – FASTEST HEAT

• Australian Record – 15:39.14, Lani Pallister, 2025
• Oceanian Record – 15:39.14, Lani Pallister (AUS), 2025

GOLD – Lani Pallister, 15:44.07
SILVER – Ching Hwee Gan (SGP), 16:08.83
BRONZE – Molly Walker, 16:14.80

National record holder Lani Pallister proved she is one of the most formidable freestyle forces on the planet, delivering a powerful time of 15:44.07 to take the women’s 1500m.

She doubled up on a super solid 200m free performance from earlier with the 3rd-best outing of her career in this longer event, sitting only behind American Olympic icon Katie Ledecky in the season’s world rankings.

MEN’S 1500 FREE – FASTEST HEAT

• Australian Record – 14:34.56, Grant Hackett, 2021
• Oceanian Record – 14:34.56, Grant Hackett (AUS), 2021

GOLD – Sam Short, 14:54.75
SILVER – Benjamin Goedemans, 15:12.37
BRONZE – Tex Cross, 15:23.24

The 2023 World Championships bronze medalist in the men’s 1500m free, Sam Short, added another piece of hardware, hitting 14:54.75 for the victory tonight.

As a testament to his consistency, Short’s time was just outside the 14:52.33 established at the Pro Swim Series in Westmont last month, a result which rendered him ranked 3rd in the world on the season and the top prospect for gold at this year’s Commonwealth Games. We’ll see what he has in store for the Trials in June where he’ll try to set himself up nicely to defend his titles in the 400m and 1500m free from the 2022 edition of the Games.