2026 Commonwealth Games Previews: Aussie Rules In The Women’s Freestyle Relays

2026 Commonwealth Games

• July 24 – 29, 2026 (pool swimming)
• Glasgow, Scotland
• Tollcross International Swimming Centre
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central

BY THE NUMBERS – WOMEN’S 4×100 FREESTYLE RELAY

• World Record: 3:27.96 – Australia (2023)
• Commonwealth Record: 3:27.96 – Australia (2023)
• Commonwealth Games Record: 3:30.05 – Australia (2018)
• 2022 Commonwealth Champion – Australia, 3:30.64

Australia have been dominant over the last few years in both freestyle relays, winning gold at the 2023 and 2025 world championships and again at the 2024 Olympic Games. They own every swim in history under 3:30, and while they may not be guaranteed to break that barrier again this summer they are the prohibitive favorites.

Aussies To Dominate

Mollie O’Callaghan leads the way for them, having clocked 52.33 to win Australian Trials. That is her fastest swim since the 2024 Olympic Games, and is just a quarter second off her PB of 52.08 from 2023. She will likely lead off, but has had multiple 51-point splits anchoring medley relays to provide another option.

If she does swim elsewhere, it will likely be Shayna Jack or Meg Harris who takes her place. Both swimmers have been 52-mid in their careers, and like O’Callaghan have sub-52 relay swims on their resume. Harris has the more recent success, winning 50 free gold at Worlds last summer, and placed second at Australian Trials in 52.63, with Jack third in 52.95. However, Jack has multiple 52-point splits on her resume, and owns a PB of 52.28 from the 2023 World Championships.

Alexandria Perkins was fourth at Trials in 53.33, just ahead of Olivia Wunsch’s 53.47. That was a lifetime best for Perkins, while Wunsch was 53.38 last year. Australia can field a full relay of swimmers with faster season bests than any other swimmer in this field, and should cruise to victory.

Their closest competitors are likely to be 2022 silver medalists England. They probably have the most depth out of themselves, Scotland, and Wales, however all three nations are beneficiaries of Canada sending a small team to this Games.

Eva Okaro is the British champion after clocking a PB of 53.75 in April, but no other active Englishwomen has broken 54 seconds since Freya Anderson more than three years ago at the 2023 British Championships. They have solid depth however, with Freya Colbert (54.02), Freya Anderson (54.05), Leah Schlosshan (54.33) and Abbie Wood (54.61).

There are a couple of NCAA swimmers who will be options too. OSU’s Erin Little (54.77) and Washington State’s Darcy Revitt (54.43) could swim in prelims (if one is required), but are unlikely to make the final quartet. Revitt had been on a tear through the first half of the season, dropping from 55.79 to 54.43, but added time at the Aquatics GB Championships.

Colbert is probably the most interesting of those swimmers. Far more at home in the 200 free, she has had multiple 53-point splits at domestic meets recently including a 53.16 at the British University’s Championships.

Great Britain did not swim the event at the 2025 World Championships, but both Okaro (53.84/53.75) and Anderson (53.47/53.24) swam in both heats and finals at the Paris Olympics. England won’t push Australia close by any stretch of the imagination, but they should be strong enough for silver.

South Africa look to be bronze medal favorites. Olivia Nel was a relay fiend at the World University Games last summer, splitting 53.69 and winning a pair of relay medals, and will be a key leg for the Proteas. Aimee Canny will also be important despite being more suited to the 200 distance, and owns a PB of 54.27 to be South Africa’s fastest woman so far this season.

Erin Gallagher joins her under 55 seconds, and Caitlin de Lange, Jessica Thompson and Rebecca Meder have all swum between 55.48 and 55.53 this season.  South Africa were fourth in Birmingham four years ago, but with no Canada in attendance they should feel confident of going one better.

Home Nations

Evie Davis and Lucy Hope are near-locks, and Emma Wood should be on the team after setting a best of 54.61 at European Juniors. Their fourth swimmer will likely be chosen from flyers Keanna Macinnes and Ciara Schlosshan, 200 freestyler Megan Barnes, or IM/backstroke swimmer Katie Shanahan, although 2009-born Evi Mackie is the fourth-fastest Scot this year at 56.00. Their battle will be with South Africa, who probably have slightly more strength throughout their team, but don’t count the Scots out.

Wales will be led by junior sensation Theodora Taylor, who owns the Welsh record in 54.20, but behind her the team is made up of 55-high swimmers. All of the top five Welsh swimmers this season are on the team, so Taylor will be joined by three of Medi Harris (55.97), Meghan Higgs (55.65), Sophie Davies (55.85), and Rebecca Sutton (56.49). They will be in the final, but not troubling the medals.

Northern Ireland were 6th four years ago, and return three of the four members of that relay. Lottie Cullen could be the replacement, joining Grace Davison, Victoria Catterson and Danielle Hill. They probably have their eyes on moving up to 5th and overhauling Wales, but that would be a long shot.

SwimSwam’s Picks

BY THE NUMBERS – WOMEN’S 4×200 FREESTYLE RELAY

• World Record: 7:37.50 – Australia (2023)
• Commonwealth Record: 7:37.50 – Australia (2023)
• Commonwealth Games Record: 7:39.27 – Australia (2022)
• 2022 Commonwealth Champion – Australia, 7:39.27

Aussie Riches

Just like in the 4×100 free, Australia are the absolute favorites in this event. They are the reigning world champions, the world record holders, and dominated this event four years ago when they won by over 12 seconds.

This year, reigning silver medalists Canada will not have Summer McIntosh or Mary-Sophie Harvey, the #1 and #2 Canadian women ever in the 200 free. England, bronze medalists in 2022, should be the team to take advantage of that.

While depth is unlikely to be as much of an issue in this relay – only five nations entered the women’s 4×200 free in 2022 – the options available to Australia are incomparable here. Of the seven Commonwealth swimmers who will be in attendance who have broken 1:57 so far this season, five are Australian, and both of the top two are from Down Under.

Mollie O’Callaghan is the only active swimmer under 1:53.5, and Lani Pallister is tied for #5 in history with Summer McIntosh at 1:53.65. Those two alone almost guarantee the gold, but in Inez Miller (1:56.41), Milla Jansen (1:56.71), and Hannah Casey (1:56.85), they have the swimmers to round out the roster. Meg Harris was 1:55.97 last season and Shayna Jack owns a PB of 1:55.37 from 2023, if the coaches decide to go with a wildcard.

Australia will likely be a little off the 7:39.35 they posted at last summer’s world championships, especially with 1:55.4 swimmer Jamie Perkins missing through injury. However, they will be some distance clear of the rest of the field even so.

England has the next strongest squad here, led by their star Freya Colbert. She moved up to #10 all-time with a 1:54.34 at the Aquatics GB Championships, although dropped to #11 after Lani Pallister posted a 1:53.65 at Australian Trials. 

Behind her are an additional six swimmers who have broken 2:00 this season. Freya Anderson clocked her best time since 2023 with a 1:57.00 at the Aquatics GB Championships, while Abbie Wood (1:57.23) and Leah Schlosshan (1:57.49) are also sub-1:58. Erin Little (1:58.47), Amalie Smith (1:59.49), and Lucy Fox (1:59.99) are options if needed, but with no heats it is unlikely the latter pair will be used. 

However, Little has no individual events and will have to swim either this event or one of the 4×100 free or 4×100 medley. The 200 free is her better event, so it could be a quartet of her, Colbert, Anderson, and Schlosshan. That still has plenty of firepower, and would be the favorite for silver.

Battle For Bronze

This is probably the only women’s relay that New Zealand enter, but they have form in this event. They finished 5th in a national record of 7:53.02 at the 2024 World Championships, and three of the four women who were on that team will be in Glasgow. Erika Fairweather is the star, owning a best of 1:55.06 in the individual 200 free, and Caitlin Deans, Eve Thomas, and Milana Tapper are an able supporting cast. New Zealand have not competed in this event since they finished 4th in 2014, but should have high hopes of emulating the class of 2010 and standing on the podium.

South Africa will have national record holder Aimee Canny leading the way for them, after she reset her South African standard with a 1:56.59 at the Pro Swim Series in June. Hannah Robertson broke 2:00 for the first time with a 1:59.99 at the South African Championships in April, and three further women – Dune Coetzee (2:00.05), Georgia Nel (2:00.38), and Rebecca Meder (2:00.41) – have been just on the other side of that barrier this season. 

Coetzee (1:59.05, 2023) and Meder (1:59.38, 2025), as well as Erin Gallagher (1:59.50, 2023) have been faster in previous years. The South Africa record of 8:01.56 from the Tokyo Olympic Games is in serious danger in Glasgow.

Canada could spoil the party for South Africa if they enter a team. Ella Jansen (1:57.33), Julie Brousseau (1:57.60), and Madison Kryger (1:59.71) are all sub-2:00 swimmers, with the big question being whether Delia Lloyd would swim. She has a best of just 2:09.01 in long course, but has been 1:59.71 in SCM and has a best of 2:10.10 in the 200 back in long course. If she can be in 2:01-2:02 range, Canada gets to the wall first in battle between the two..

Scotland were fifth in this event four years ago, and will return half of that team in Lucy Hope and Evie Davis. Megan Barnes and Evi Mackie, who just split 1:59.95 at European Juniors, will join them, but they don’t have the star power of any of the teams ahead of them. They will move up a spot with no Canada in the event and are likely to be faster than the 8:13.84 they posted in Birmingham, but a podium doesn’t look too likely.