2026 Australian Swimming Trials: Day 5 Finals Live Recap

2026 AUSTRALIAN SWIMMING TRIALS

• Monday, June 8 – Saturday, June 13, 2026
• Sydney, Australia
• Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre
• LCM (50 meters)
• Meet Central
• Commonwealth Selection Criteria
• Pan Pac Selection Criteria
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Live Stream
• Storylines To Watch
• Live Recaps:
  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4
• Day 5 Finals Heat Sheet

The penultimate night of racing from the 2026 Australian Swimming Trials will kick off with one of the marquee events on the program, the women’s 100 freestyle, and close with the men’s 1500 free where Sam Short will be aiming for his fourth victory of the meet.

We’ll also see finals in the men’s and women’s 200 breaststroke, and the men’s 200 backstroke, along with the multi-class 100 back and 50 breast for the Para swimmers.

The women’s 100 free will be headlined by Mollie O’Callaghan, the 2022 and 2023 world champion in the event who won the 200 free earlier in the week with one of the fastest swims ever.

O’Callaghan’s biggest challenger is expected to be Meg Harris, who had a breakthrough 52.56 performance last December.

At the Australian Open in April, O’Callaghan clocked a season-best of 52.66, while Harris went 53.36. In the prelims, it was Harris throwing down an impressive 52.71, with O’Callaghan also sub-53 in 52.90.

• Day 5 Finals Heat Sheet

In the men’s 200 back, Joshua Edwards-Smith was the top Australian performer last year, placing 13th at the World Championships, but rising teenage star Henry Allan will be dangerous after setting a personal best of 1:57.00 earlier this year.

Update: Henry Allan has withdrawn from the men’s 200 backstroke final due to illness.

All eyes will be on Zac Stubblety-Cook in the men’s 200 breast, as the Tokyo Olympic champion and former world record holder aims to earn a berth on the Commonwealth and Pan Pac rosters after injury forced him out of the 2025 World Championships. ZSC lacked the front-end speed, but had a strong back half in the 100 breast on Day 1, and after placing 4th in that race, he’ll need to come through tonight to qualify for the Dolphins team again.

The women’s 200 breast in Australia in a similar spot to the men’s 200 back, with no clear-cut star and the fact that earning a finals berth at an Olympics or World Championships would be a success. Ella Ramsay was 9th at Worlds last summer, while Tara Kinder is the top Aussie so far this year after clocking 2:23.92 in April.

The night will wrap with the men’s 1500 free, where Short aims to go four-for-four in victories and personal best times here in Sydney after winning the 200 free (1:45.16), 400 free (3:40.67) and 800 free (7:36.73) thus far, setting a new textile world record in the latter.

In the 1500 free, Short’s season-best stands at 14:52.33, set at the Westmont Pro Swim in March, while his lifetime bests sits at 14:37.28 from the 2023 World Championships.

WOMEN’S 100 FREESTYLE  – FINAL

• World Record: 51.71, Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) – 2017
• Commonwealth Record: 51.96, Emma McKeon (AUS) – 2021
• Australian Record: 51.96, Emma McKeon – 2021
• All Comers Record: 52.06, Cate Campbell (AUS) – 2016
• SA Qualifying Time: 53.51

‘A’ Final

1. Mollie O’Callaghan (St. Peters Western), 52.33
2. Meg Harris (Rackley), 52.63
3. Shayna Jack (St. Peters Western), 52.96
4. Alexandria Perkins (USC Spartans), 53.33
5. Olivia Wunsch (Carlile), 53.47
6. Milla Jansen (St. Peters Western), 53.64
7. Hannah Casey (Bond), 53.79
8. Chloe Rowe-Hagans (St. Andrew’s), 54.66

Mollie O’Callaghan used her patented back half to overtake Meg Harris and solidify her second national title of the week in the women’s 100 freestyle, hitting a new season-best time of 52.33.

O’Callaghan split 25.54/26.79 en route to lowering her previous season-best of 52.66, set at the Australian Open in April, to move up from 5th into 3rd in the world rankings.

The 22-year-old was significantly quicker than she was last year’s Trials, a trend we also saw in the 200 free having won the 2025 national title in 52.87.

Harris, 24, qualified to represent Australia in the 100 freestyle individually on the senior international stage for the first time with her runner-up finish in a time of 52.63, just shy of her personal best (52.56) set this past December. The 2025 world champion in the 50 free, Harris paced this morning’s prelims in 52.71, showing some sub-53 consistency.

O’Callaghan’s former St. Peters Western teammate Shayna Jack broke 53 seconds for the first time since 2024, splitting 25.31/27.65 en route to a time of 52.96 for her fastest since the 2024 Olympics.

Jack notably recently made the move to Western Australia (WAIS) from St. Peters, though she’s still representing St. Peters Western in Sydney.

Last year, Jack was 8th at the Aussie Trials in 54.03, subsequently missing out on a World Championship roster spot.

Twelve months later, her swim locks her in for relay duties at the Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacs, and since she was well under the SA qualifying time of 53.51, she’ll be able to swim the individual race at both meets as well.

After going 53.29 in the heats to rank 7th int he world this season, Jack now leapfrogs Kate Douglass and moves up into 6th.

In a tight race for 4th and the final relay berth, USC Spartans’ Alexandria Perkins had a strong start and held the rest of her challengers at bay coming home to take that spot in a time of 53.33, knocking two-tenths off her previous best of 53.53 set at last year’s Trials.

Rising star Olivia Wunsch, the runner-up at the 2025 Trials, was 5th in a time of 53.47, improving on her season-best of 53.58 to make it five women under the SA qualifying time.

St. Peters Western’s Milla Jansen had strong closing 50 in 27.60, but not quite enough early speed to nab one of those relay spots as she touched 6th in 53.64 after coming out of the prelims seeded 4th at 53.66.

MEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE  – FINAL

• World Record: 1:51.92, Aaron Peirsol (USA) – 2009
• Commonwealth Record: 1:53.17, Mitch Larkin (AUS) – 2015
• Australian Record: 1:53.17, Mitch Larkin – 2015
• All Comers Record: 1:53.72, Mitch Larkin (AUS) – 2015
• SA Qualifying Time: 1:55.64

‘A’ Final

1. Se-Bom Lee (SOPAC), 1:56.75
2. Joshua Edwards-Smith (Griffith), 1:57.50
3. Stuart Swinburn (City of Sydney), 1:57.54
4. Adam Graham (Manly), 1:57.78
5. Matthew Magnussen (Nudgee College), 1:58.95
6. Tate Sirianni (Cranbrook), 2:01.27
7. Xavier Metcalfe (Rackley), 2:02.64
8. Jack Morrow (St. Andrew’s), 2:02.80

Se-Bom Lee executed perfectly en route to winning the men’s 200 backstroke final in a new lifetime best of 1:56.75.

Coming in, it didn’t look like anyone in the field would come close to the SA qualifying time of 1:55.64, and while Lee was still over a second off, he did go faster than expected. Racing in the pool he trains in every day, the 24-year-old held his second and third 50 splits under 30 seconds (29.28/29.52) before coming home in 30.16 to top runner-up Joshua Edwards-Smith by three quarters of a second.

Lee’s previous best time stood at 1:57.02, set at the 2024 Olympic Trials. At the 2025 Trials, he was 7th in a time of 2:00.02.

Griffith University’s Edwards-Smith, who won this event at the 2025 Australian Trials, had a strong start, sitting near the lead at the halfway mark alongside Stuart Swinburn, but then lost contact on the third 50, splitting 30.25 while Lee and Swinburn produced 29s.

Edwards-Smith couldn’t make up any inroads on Lee on the last 50, but he did manage to overtake Swinburn, out-splitting him by early half a second, 30.24 to 30.71, to touch 2nd in a time of 1:57.50, with Swinburn close behind in 1:57.54.

Edwards-Smith owns a personal best of 1:55.42, set back in 2022, and placed 13th at the 2025 World Championships in 1:56.28. For Swinburn, his swim marked a new personal best, as he cracked 1:58 for the first time having previously been 1:58.05 at the 2024 Olympic Trials.

Manly’s Adam Graham, who was 5th at the 2025 Trials, moved up one spot to take 4th in a personal best of 1:57.78.

Rackley’s Xavier Metcalfe, who was a late replacement for the ill Henry Allan, added a bit of time from his morning swim in 2:02.64, but still moves up two spots from his prelim placement in 7th.

MEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE MC – FINAL

Top 3

1. Benjamin Hance S14 (St. Andrews), 57.40 – 928 pts
2. Tim Hodge S9 (Blacktown), 1:03.49 – 832 pts
3. Declan Budd S14 (Knox Pymble), 1:00.76 – 782 pts

Two-time Paralympic champion Benjamin Hance (S14) had an impressive showing en route to victory in the men’s multi-class 100 back, clocking 57.40 to score 928 para points and go faster than he did en route to winning gold two years ago in Paris (57.73).

Hance’s personal best stands at 55.99, set en route to winning gold at the 2025 Para Championships.

Tim Hodge, competing in the S9 category, added another event to his Para Pan Pac program by taking 2nd in 1:03.49, good for 832 points, while Declan Budd, S14, rounded out the top three in 1:00.76 for 782 points.

The top four all earned qualifying times for Para Pan Pacs, with Liam Togher (S9) also doing so in 4th ay 1:04.83.

WOMEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE MC – FINAL

Top 3

1. Madeleine McTernan S14 (Griffith), 1:08.18 – 829 pts
2. Chloe Osborn S7 (Blacktown), 1:28.80 – 717 pts
3. Gemma Sellick S9 (Warringah), 1:15.54 – 711 pts

Madeleine McTernan continued her impressive run here in Sydney by claiming another victory in the women’s multi-class 100 backstroke.

The 25-year-old S14 athlete topped the field by over 100 points by posting a time of 1:08.18 after setting a best time of 1:07.97 in the prelims. The Griffith-trained McTernan was the only woman under the qualifying standard for Para Pan Pacs.

MEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE  – FINAL

• World Record: 2:05.48, Qin Haiyang (CHN) – 2023
• Commonwealth Record: 2:05.95, Zac Stubblety-Cook (AUS) – 2022
• Australian Record: 2:05.95, Zac Stubblety-Cook – 2022
• All Comers Record: 2:05.95, Zac Stubblety-Cook (AUS) – 2022
• SA Qualifying Time: 2:09.32

‘A’ Final

1. Zac Stubblety-Cook (Nunawading), 2:08.92
2. Bailey Lello (St. Peters Western), 2:09.84
3. Joshua Yong (Highlanders), 2:10.31
4. Joshua Anderson (Brisbane Grammar), 2:12.75
5. Finlay Schuster (Nudgee College), 2:12.82
6. Joshua Collett (Bond), 2:14.02
7. Ethan Cook (Carlile), 2:14.07
8. Harrison Biddell (Marion), 2:14.41

Zac Stubblety-Cook roared home in classic ZSC fashion to come from behind and claim the national title in the men’s 200 breaststroke, booking his ticket to the Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacific Championships this summer.

The 27-year-old, who recently moved to Nunawading and is working under coach Jol Finck, trailed Bailey Lello by eight-tenths of a second at the 100-meter mark, and then the two had near identical splits on the third 50, leaving Stubblety-Cook with a big deficit going into the last length.

Coming home, Stubblety-Cook upped the tempo and mowed past Lello, splitting 32.75 to finish in a time of 2:08.92, faster than he was at the 2025 Trials (2:09.09) and his best showing since winning silver at the Paris Olympics.

Tonight’s swim moves him into 10th in the world this season. He had previously been 2:10.03 this season, done at the Australian Open in April.

Lello, the 23-year-old St. Peters Western product who had an impressive runner-up finish in the 100 breast at the beginning of the meet, was out quick, turning in 1:01.92 at the 100, and then looked like he might take the throne from Stubblety-Cook as he made the turn for home at the 150.

Despite fading a bit, splitting 34.49 on the last 50 after going 29.16/32.76/33.43 over the first three length, Lello still set produced a solid time to place 2nd in 2:09.84, narrowly missing his personal best of 2:09.79 and falling just over half a second shy of the SA qualifying time of 2:09.32.

Highlanders’ Joshua Yong wasn’t too far behind the top two, as the 24-year-old closed well, being the only one in the field outside of Stubblety-Cook to keep all of his 50 splits under 34 seconds, to place 3rd in 2:10.31. The owner of a PB of 2:08.08 from the 2024 Olympic Trials, Yong was DQed in the final at the 2025 Aussie Trials.

WOMEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

• World Record: 2:17.55, Evgeniia Chikunova (RUS) – 2023
• Commonwealth Record: 2:18.95, Tatjana Schoenmaker (RSA) – 2021
• Australian Record: 2:20.54, Leisel Jones – 2006
• All Comers Record: 2:20.04, Rie Kaneto (JPN) – 2016
• SA Qualifying Time: 2:24.10

‘A’ Final

1. Ella Ramsay (Nunawading), 2:24.04
2. Tara Kinder (Melbourne Vicentre), 2:24.22
3. Sienna Toohey (Albury), 2:25.24
4. Matilda Smith (Miami), 2:25.97
5. Amelie Smith (Rocky City), 2:27.17
6. Sienna Harben (Griffith), 2:27.20
7. Julia Eve Spedding (Griffith), 2:32.54
8. Reidel Smith (Nunawading), 2:32.94

After watching boyfriend Zac Stubblety-Cook win the men’s race, Ella Ramsay came through with a clutch victory in an exciting head-to-head battle with Tara Kinder in the women’s 200 breaststroke final.

Ramsay and youngster Sienna Toohey grabbed the early lead, both turning in 32.69 at the 50, and then Kinder took off on the second length, splitting 36.07 to open up a gap of more than three-tenths on Ramsay at the 100, 1:09.01 to 1:09.36. Toohey was close behind in 1:09.51.

Ramsay and Kinder opened up a bigger gap on Toohey on the third 50—Kinder still held the lead, though Ramsay out-split her by two-tenths, setting up a showdown on the last 50.

Going stroke for stroke, Ramsay inched ahead of Kinder to claim the victory in a time of 2:24.04, setting a new season-best time to move into 15th in the world this season. Ramsay also sneaks under the SA qualifying time, adding to her program for this summer’s championship meets after earning runner-up finishes earlier in the meet in the 100 breast and 200 IM>

Ramsay, who like Stubblety-Cook, recently uprooted her life to move to Nunawading from the Griffith University Swim Club after splitting with coach Mel Marshall, was only 12 one-hundredths slower than she was in winning the 2025 Trials (2:23.92). Ramsay’s best time stands at 2:22.87, set in 2024.

Kinder, 23, clocked 2:24.22 to place 2nd, falling just shy of the 2:24.19 season-best she set in April and the SA qualifying time of 2:24.10.

The Melbourne Vicentre swimmer owns a PB of 2:23.84 set in March 2025.

The 17-year-old Toohey, who won the 50 and 100 breast earlier this week, lopped a massive six-plus seconds off her prelim time to place 3rd in 2:25.24 swimming out of Lane 1. After sitting near the leaders through the 100, Toohey started to feel some pressure from Matilda Smith on the third 50, but Toohey held her off by out-splitting her coming home to solidify 3rd place.

The performance marked a big personal best for Toohey, who chops over a second off her previous best of 2:26.43 set just three months ago.

Smith, a 21-year-old out of Miami, was 4th in 2:25.97. She owns a best time of 2:24.34 from 2023.

MEN’S 50 BREASTSTROKE MC – FINAL

Top 3

1. Ahmed Kelly SB3 (Yarba Plenty), 53.60 – 653 pts
2. Grant Patterson SB2 (Central Cairns), 1:01.71 – 553 pts
3. Knox Gibson SB9 (Orange), 34.46 – 520 pts

Ahmed Kelly, SB3, and Grant Patterson, SB2, both hit the qualifying standard in their respective classifications for Para Pan Pacs in the men’s multi-class 50 breaststroke.

Kelly put up a time of 53.60 for 653 para points, while Patterson’s 1:01.71 earned 553 points. Both were slightly quicker than the prelims.

WOMEN’S 50 BREASTSTROKE MC – FINAL

Top 3

1. Sahrah Hancock SB6 (Darwin), 47.42 – 642 pts
2. Ruby Halliday SB7 (MLC Aquatic), 46.06 – 591 pts
3. Keira Stephens SB9 (Griffith), 37.20 – 557 pts

Sixteen-year-old Sahrah Hancock came out on top in the women’s multi-class 50 breaststroke final, as the SB6 classified swimmer clocked 47.42 to score 642 para points and drop just over a second off her prelim swim.

Despite hitting the Para Pan Pac qualifying time for SB6, Hancock has yet to be internationally classified, so she’s not yet eligible to rep Australia. When she does, however, she would become the first para swimmer from Australia’s Northern Territory to swim internationally in over 20 years.

MEN’S 1500 FREESTYLE  – TIMED FINAL

• World Record: 14:30.67, Bobby Finke (USA) – 2024
• Commonwealth Record: 14:34.56, Grant Hackett (AUS) – 2001
• Australian Record: 14:34.56, Grant Hackett – 2001
• All Comers Record: 14:39.54, Mack Horton (AUS) – 2016
• SA Qualifying Time: 14:51.06

Top 8 AUS)

1. Sam Short (Rackley), 14:42.09
2. Matthew Galea (St. Peters Western), 14:50.22
3. Ben Goedemans (St. Peters Western), 14:50.67
4. Thomas Raymond (Kawana Waters), 15:18.12
5. Tex Cross (Highlanders), 15:23.09
6. Kyle Lee (North Coast), 15:25.20
7. Luke Higgs (Warringah), 15:30.33
8. Alessio Macri (North Coast), 15:33.16

It was an eventful end to the session in the men’s 1500 freestyle as Sam Short went out well under world record pace while a blow-for-blow battle for 2nd place came down to the wire between two teammates.

It’s been the theme all week for Short: go out fast and hang on. That strategy had earned him new personal best times and victories in the 200, 400 and 800 free this week, including setting a new textile world record in the latter.

Despite mentioning he’s using this rest of the week to get back into training prior to the session, Short looked fresh early on, blasting out at a blistering pace.

He turned in 3:48.78 at the 400, and then at the 800, he flipped at 7:42.70, more than two seconds under Bobby Finke‘s world record pace (7:45.18) and Short’s own personal best pace (7:45.12).

The wheels slowly started to fall off for Short from there. He drifted from splitting 29-lows early up to 29-highs, and then after turning over world record pace for the first time at the 1050, he really started to feel the pain, splitting over 30 seconds for 300 meters straight from the 1150 to the 1450.

He closed in 29.54 to touch in a final time of 14:42.09, still the second-fastest performance of his career and a season-best by more than 10 seconds, climbing him to 4th in the 2025-26 world rankings.

• Short’s 500 splits: 4:47.05 / 4:54.33 / 5:00.71
• Short’s 750 splits: 7:13.23 / 7:28.86

Short set his personal best of 14:37.28 at the 2023 World Championships, and so far this season, he had been 14:52.33 at the Pro Swim Series stop in Westmont, Illinois.

At the 2025 Australian Trials, he was more than 10 seconds slower in 14:52.43.

Behind Short, an exciting battle for the runner-up spot was brewing between St. Peters Western teammates Matthew Galea and Ben Goedemans.

The two were neck and neck throughout the vast majority of the race, though after they were flipping nearly identical through the front half, a small gap opened up after the 1000-meter turn. Galea split 2:58.89 over the 300 portion from 1000 to 1300, gaining more than a second on Goedemans (3:00.11).

The gap between the two stayed at over a second heading into the bell lap. Galea picked it up with a 28.91 split on the penultimate 50, and Goedemans did the same in 29.15, leaving him a 1.41-second deficit heading into the final 50.

Goedemans charged home in 26.38, the fastest single 50 in the field throughout the entire race (not just closing 50s), but it wasn’t enough as Galea came home in 27.34 to touch 2nd in 14:50.22, with Goedemans close behind in 14:50.67.

Both swimmers hit new personal best times and were under the SA qualifying time of 14:51.06, leading to a classic Dean Boxall celebration on pool deck.

Galea shattered his previous PB of 14:57.19, set back in 2023, while Goedemans took more than two seconds off his previous best of 14:52.99.

Galea will lock in a Commonwealth and Pan Pac roster spot with this swim, while Goedemans has a chance to be named to the team as well depending on roster size.

Australia now has three men ranked in the top eight in the world this season.

Kawana Waters’ Thomas Raymond was a distant 4th in 15:18.12, just shy of his 15:17.74 best time, while North Coast’s Alessio Macri ended up cracking the top eight with his 15:33.16 swim from the prelims.