2026 Australian Swimming Trials: Day 4 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
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
• Day 4 Finals Heat Sheet

It will be another exciting night of racing on Day 4 of the 2026 Australian Swimming Trials with a star-studded cast headlined by Kaylee McKeown, Kyle Chalmers and Lani Pallister competing in arguably their best events.

McKeown, who dropped out of the 200 IM on the opening day due to an illness, will be aiming to complete a sweep of the women’s backstroke events, having won the 50 back (27.13) on Monday and the 100 back (57.77) on Tuesday with a pair of season-best times.

She currently ranks 3rd in the world in the 200 back, having been 2:05.08 in March, with Americans Isabelle Stadden (2:04.37) and Regan Smith (2:04.85) leading the world rankings.

Chalmers will race in the evening for the first time this week in the men’s 100 free, having set a personal best in the 100 fly prelims on Tuesday morning before scratching the final. He comes into the meet ranked 10th in the world this season after clocking 47.70 at the China Open in March.

In this morning’s prelims, Flynn Southam impressed by being the only one under 48 seconds in 47.98.

Pallister, who won the 400 free on the opening night and then followed up by shattering her personal best and tying Summer McIntosh as the fifth-fastest performer of all-time in the 200 free on Wednesday, headlines the women’s 800 free after dropping a stunning time of 8:05.98 en route to winning silver last summer at the World Championships.

Pallister was aggressive en route to her victory in the 400 free, sitting under world record pace through the halfway mark, but she fell off a bit coming home and was disappointed not to hit a personal or even season-best. It will be interesting to watch what type of pacing strategy she employs tonight, especially after seeing Sam Short go out like a rocket and ultimately lower the textile world record last night in the men’s race.

We’ll also see finals in the men’s 200 IM and women’s 200 fly tonight, with William Petric and Elizabeth Dekkers leading the charge.

Dekkers was 3rd in the 200 fly last year at the Aussie Trials, but a scratch from Abbey Connor bumped her onto the World Championship team, where she went on to win the bronze medal in a time of 2:06.12.

In the men’s 200 IM, Petric was the runner-up to David Schlicht at last year’s Trials, and went on to place 12th at the 2025 World Championships, with Schlicht in 16th. This past December, Petric lowered his lifetime best to 1:57.18 at the Queensland Championships, making him the clear favorite here.

WOMEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE  – FINAL

• World Record: 2:03.14, Kaylee McKeown (AUS) – 2023
• Commonwealth Record: 2:03.14, Kaylee McKeown (AUS) – 2023
• Australian Record: 2:03.14, Kaylee McKeown – 2023
• All Comers Record: 2:03.14, Kaylee McKeown (AUS) – 2023
• SA Qualifying Time: 2:09.09

‘A’ Final

1. Kaylee McKeown (USC Spartans), 2:03.98
2. Iona Anderson (Highlanders), 2:07.59
3. Hannah Fredericks (St. Peters Western), 2:07.99
4. Jenna Forrester (St. Peters Western), 2:09.13
5. Zoe Ammundsen (Nudgee College), 2:12.85
6. Alannah Banks (Melbourne Vicentre), 2:13.30
7. Ivy Miller (Griffith), 2:14.00
8. Heidi Shumack (SOPAC), 2:14.61

Despite fighting an illness this week, Kaylee McKeown was fearless in the final of the women’s 200 backstroke, kicking off Thursday night’s finals session with a bang as she flipped under world record pace through the halfway mark.

McKeown went out in 1:00.58 at the 100, 15 one-hundredths under her world record pace of 1:00.73 set back in 2023, and then she was still only two-tenths off WR pace the 150 mar in 1:32.08.

Coming home, McKeown said she was in “so much pain” as she slowed a tad, splitting 31.90 to touch in a time of 2:03.98, the eighth-fastest swim of her career and the 12th-fastest performance of all-time.

The 24-year-old said she’d have liked to do a bit better tonight, and when pressed, admitted she can’t wait to go under her lifetime best and world record of 2:03.14, which has been on the books since March 2023.

The swim was a new season-best for McKeown, who improves on her 2:05.08 from March to take over the top spot in the world rankings from American Isabelle Stadden (2:04.37).

McKeown also completes a sweep of the backstroke events here in Sydney, having won the 50 (27.13) and 100 (57.77) earlier in the meet.

The field behind McKeown was also blazing fast, with two other women breaking the 2:08 barrier, both doing so for the first time.

Highlanders’ Iona Anderson, the runner-up in the 100 back, earned another 2nd place finish tonight by evenly splitting her way to a time of 2:07.59, shattering her previous best time of 2:09.22 to become the ninth-fastest Aussie of all-time and slot into 6th in the 2025-26 world rankings.

Close behind her was St. Peters Western’s Hannah Fredericks, who made up nearly four-tenths on Anderson over the last 50 to sneak under 2:08 in a time of 2:07.99, lowering her previous best of 2:08.25 to also crack the top 10 in the world this season in 8th.

Both Anderson and Fredericks set their previous best times at the 2024 Australian Olympic Trials. Both comfortably under the SA qualifying time of 2:09.09, Anderson has locked up Commonwealth and Pan Pac qualification, while Fredericks will have a chance depending on roster size.

Jenna Forrester, who’s had an impressive meet thus far, made it four women under 2:10, clocking 2:09.13 to dip under her previous best time of 2:09.74 set back in 2023.

MEN’S 200 IM  – FINAL

• World Record: 1:52.69, Leon Marchand (FRA) – 2025
• Commonwealth Record: 1:55.28, Duncan Scott (GBR) – 2021
• Australian Record: 1:55.72, Mitch Larkin – 2019
• All Comers Record: 1:54,98, Michael Phelps (USA) – 2007
• SA Qualifying Time: 1:57.49

‘A’ Final

1. William Petric (Nunawading), 1:57.55
2. Thomas Neill (Rackley), 1:58.90
3. Brendon Smith (St. Peters Western), 1:59.11
4. David Schlicht (MLC Aquatic), 1:59.15
5. Lukas Dunn (Knox Pymble), 2:01.05
6. Samuel Higgs (Nunawading), 2:01.38
7. Joshua Kerr (Miami), 2:02.31
8. Callum Halloran-Lavelle (Nunawading), 2:03.42

William Petric narrowly missed out on locking in his qualifying spot for the Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacific Championships in the final of the men’s 200 IM, though he still produced a decent time and won the national title in dominant fashion.

The 21-year-old Nunawading product grabbed the early lead and never relinquished it, clocking 1:57.55 for the third-fastest swim of his career, missing the SA qualifying time of 1:57.49 by six one-hundredths.

Post-race, Petric didn’t seemed fazed about the narrow miss, opting to look as it as extra pressure—which he welcomes—heading into the 400 IM on Saturday. Regardless of the 400 IM, Petric would still have a chance of being named to the team after this swim.

He set a new personal best of 1:57.18 this past December at the Queensland Championships, which ranks him 9th in the world this season.

Rackley’s Thomas Neill secured the runner-up position in a close race with St. Peters Western’s Brendon Smith and MLC Aquatics’ David Schlicht clocking 1:58.90 to hold off Smith (1:59.11), who had the fastest last 50 in the field (28.18), and pull ahead of Schlicht (1:59.15), who sat in 2nd at the final turn but faded on free.

Neill owns a lifetime best of 1:57.41, set in December 2023, while Smith’s 1:58.12 PB was set at the 2024 Australian Olympic Trials. Schlicht established his 1:58.10 personal best at last June’s Trials.

Racing in the ‘B’ final, South Africa’s Matt Sates produced the second-fastest swim of the night, clocking 1:58.33 for his fastest showing since 2023 and moving into 23rd in the world this season. Sates intends on obtaining Australian sporting citizenship in time for the 2028 Olympics.

WOMEN’S 400 FREESTYLE MC – FINAL

Top 3

1. Lakeisha Patterson S9 (USC Spartans), 4:36.79 – 866 pts
2. Chloe Osborn S7 (Blacktown), 5:19.24 – 761 pts
3. Annabelle Moloney S10 (Cotton Tree), 4:57.06 – 703 pts

Lucky Lakeisha Patterson had a very solid performance in tonight’s final of the women’s multi-class 400 freestyle, putting up a time of 4:36.79 to comfortably go under the S9 qualifying time and book her ticket to the Para Pan Pacs.

The 27-year-old was unable to compete at the 2025 Trials due to seizures, and she shared how meaningful it was to be back and swimming well in her post-race interview. Her time was just shy of the 4:36.15 she produced at the Australian Open in April, with her personal best of 4:35.56 having been set back in 2019.

Chloe Osborn, S7, and Victoria Belando Nicholson, S9, also qualified for Para Pan Pacs with their performances. Osborn was 2nd overall with 761 points after clocking 5:19.24, while Belando Nicholson was 4th with 663 points after going 5:02.53.

MEN’S 400 FREESTYLE MC – FINAL

Top 3

1. Callum Simpson S8 (Flinders Phoenix), 4:26.53 – 926 pts
2. Brendan Hall S9 (USC Spartans), 4:20.33 – 885 pts
3. Harrison Vig S9 (University of Queensland), 4:20.61 – 882 pts

Brendan Hall and Harrison Vig duelled it out for the heat win in the men’s multi-class 400 freestyle final, and though Hall got his hand on the wall first between the two S9 athletes, it was Callum Simpson, S8, who ended earning the overall victory due to his para point socre.

The 19-year-old Simpson clocked 4:26.53 to score 926 para points, topping Hall (4:20.33) and Vig (4:20.61), who scored 885 and 882 points, respectively. Simpson was quicker this morning in 4:25.50.

All three had already produced qualifying times for the Para Pan Pacs in the prelims.

WOMEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY  – FINAL

• World Record: 2:01.81, Liu Zige (CHN) – 2009
• Commonwealth Record: 2:01.99, Summer McIntosh (CAN) – 2025
• Australian Record: 2:03.41, Jessicah Schipper – 20009
• All Comers Record: 2:05.20, Elizabeth Dekkers (AUS) – 2024
• SA Qualifying Time: 2:07.95

‘A’ Final

1. Elizabeth Dekkers (St. Peters Western), 2:04.95 *All Comers Record*
2. Brittany Castelluzzo (Tea Tree Gully), 2:06.95
3. Jess Cole (Carlile), 2:08.81
4. Poppy Stephen (Brisbane Grammar), 2:09.38
5. Bella Grant (USC Spartans), 2:10.96
6. Elloise Doolan (USC Spartans), 2:11.32
7. Lucy Dring (USC Spartans), 2:14.32
8. Rafaela Kopellou (St. Andrew’s), 2:14.92

Elizabeth Dekkers delivered a sensational performance in the final of the women’s 200 butterfly, breaking the elusive 2:05 barrier for the first time and lowering her own All Comers Record.

The 22-year-old St. Peters Western swimmer set the table for tonight’s swim with a very strong morning showing of 2:06.65, which she split fairly conservatively and closed well.

In the final, Dekkers was much more aggressive opening up, turning in 1:00.21 (compared to 1:02.33 this morning) and managed to keep her third 50 under 32 seconds, splitting 31.89 to turn in 1:32.10 at the 150, eight-tenths under her 2:05.20 personal best pace of 1:32.90.

She managed to hang on coming home, splitting 32.85 to touch in a final time of 2:04.95, becoming the 13th woman in history under the 2:05 barrier and the third Aussie.

Dekkers set her previous best time of 2:05.20 back at the 2024 Australian Nationals, and she had already been 2:05.39 this season, which ranked her 3rd in the world. She maintains that ranking with this performance tonight, but does move up from 14th into 13th in the historical rankings, leapfrogging France’s Aurore Mongel (2:05.09).

All-Time Performers, Women’s 200 Butterfly (LCM)

1. Zige Liu (CHN), 2:01.81 – 2009
2. Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2:01.99 – 2025
3. Jessicah Schipper (AUS), 2:03.41 – 2009
4. Regan Smith (USA), 2:03.84 – 2024
5. Yufei Zhang (CHN), 2:03.86 – 2021
6. Liuyang Jiao (CHN), 2:04.06 – 2012
7. Mary E. Descenza (USA), 2:04.14 – 2009
8. Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 2:04.27 – 2009
9. Natsumi Hoshi (JPN), 2:04.69 – 2012
10. Mireia Belmonte Garcia (ESP), 2:04.78 – 2013
11. Ellen Gandy (GBR), 2:04.83 – 2009
12. Madeline Groves (AUS), 2:04.88 – 2016
13. Elizabeth Dekkers (AUS), 2:04.95 – 2026
14. Aurore Mongel (FRA), 2:05.09 – 2009
15. Tess Howley (USA), 2:05.20 – 2025

Nearly hitting a personal best time of her own was 25-year-old Brittany Castelluzzo, who went out fast, turning with Dekkers at the 100, and then held on coming home to finish 2nd in a time of 2:06.95, just shy of her 2:06.86 PB set last year. She had already been 2:06.96 this season, set in late 2025, which ranked her 6th in the world this season.

The swim comfortably puts Castelluzzo under the SA qualifying time of 2:07.95 and secures her Commonwealth and Pan Pacs roster spots.

Carlile’s Jess Cole, 19, set a new personal best in 3rd, going out fast and hanging on down the stretch to clock 2:08.81, her first sub-2:09 outing after going 2:09.56 en route to placing 5th at the 2025 World Junior Championships.

Brisbane Grammar’s Poppy Stephen, who went out even faster than Cole with a 1:00.59 opening 100, made it four women under 2:10 tonight, clocking 2:09.38 to lower her previous best of 2:10.20 set in April.

MEN’S 100 FREESTYLE  – FINAL

• World Record: 46.40, Pan Zhanle (CHN) – 2024
• Commonwealth Record: 47.04, Cameron McEvoy (AUS) – 2016
• Australian Record: 47.04, Cameron McEvoy – 2016
• All Comers Record: 47.04, Cameron McEvoy (AUS) – 2016
• SA Qualifying Time: 47.64

‘A’ Final

1. Kyle Chalmers (Marion), 47.59
2. Flynn Southam (Bond), 47.94
3. Kai Taylor (St. Peters Western), 48.21
4. Harrison Turner (Nudgee College), 48.22
5. Matt Temple (Marion), 48.38
6. Jamie Jack (St. Peters Western), 48.53
7. Max Giuliani (Miami), 48.67
8. Jack Cartwright (St. Peters Western), 49.08

Kyle Chalmers did what he does best, roaring home on the back half of the men’s 100 freestyle en route to claiming the victory and national title in a season-best time of 47.59.

The 27-year-old Marion swimmer was sitting in 2nd at the 50-meter mark, somewhat uncharted territory for the comeback king, as he flipped in 22.81, with Jamie Jack leading the way in 22.54 and no one else in the field under 23 seconds.

Chalmers then turned on the jets, charing home in 24.78 to claim the victory and improve on his season-best of 47.70 set at the China Open in March. His time of 47.59 only barely snuck under the SA qualifying time of 47.64, though he was a lock to be named to the team regardless due to the relay selection, but it just goes to show how fast some of these qualifying times are (based on 8th place from the semis at the 2025 World Championships).

For reference, Chalmers went 47.29 at the 2025 Australian Trials, where he had a similar opening 50 to tonight (22.73) but was much quicker on the back half (24.56).

Rather than Chalmers, the fastest second 50 in the field actually belonged to Flynn Southam, the top seed out of the prelims who split 23.36/24.58 en route to a time of 47.94, slightly quicker than his 47.98 morning swim.

The 21-year-old Bond swimmer set his personal best of 47.69 en route to placing 2nd to Chalmers at last year’s Trials.

St. Peters Western’s Kai Taylor, who was 4th in the 2025 Trials final, moved up one spot to claim 3rd in 48.21. The 22-year-old set his personal best of 47.97 this past April at the Australian Open.

Locking in a spot on the 4×100 free relay in 4th was Harrison Turner, who has been on fire here in Sydney with a win in the 200 fly to go along with a pair of 3rd-place finishes in the 200 free and 100 fly. Turner was near the back of the field, alongside Southam, at the 50 turn, but charged home in 24.87 to clock 48.22 and lower his personal best of 48.43 set last year.

Matt Temple, who was on incredible form a few nights ago in the 100 fly, mustered a 48.38 performance for 5th, while Jack, the race leader through the 50, faded on the back half, closing in 25.99 to take 6th in 48.53.

Temple owns a best time of 48.07, but was 13th in the prelims during last year’s Trials in 49.51. Jack’s best time sits at 48.27, set in December 2024, and he was 7th at the 2025 Trials.

WOMEN’S 100 BREASTSTROKE MC – FINAL

Top 3

1. Stephanie Bruzzese SB14 (PLC Sydney), 1:20.46 – 717 pts
2. Keira Stephens SB9 (Griffith), 1:20.67 – 681 pts
3. Sarah Hancock SB6 (Darwin), 1:44.06 – 644 pts

PLC Sydney’s Stephanie Bruzzese edged out Griffith University’s Keira Stephens to touch first in the final of the women’s multi-class 100 breaststroke, posting respective times of 1:20.46 and 1:20.67.

Stephens, an SB9 athlete, was one of four swimmers to hit the Para Pan Pac standard for their classification in the final, but Bruzzese didn’t quite hit the SB14 time despite topping the field with 717 para points.

Sarah Hancock, who was 3rd with 644 para points, also hit the qualifying time for the SB6 classification.

MEN’S 100 BREASTSTROKE MC – FINAL

Top 3

1. Jake Michel SB14 (Carina Leagues), 1:05.28 – 884 pts
2. Tim Hodge SB8 (Blacktown), 1:12.73 – 782 pts
3. Riley Moore SB9 (Woden Valley), 1:10.49 – 749 PTS

The top three finishers in the men’s multi-class 100 breaststroke final all hit Para Pan Pac qualifying times, led by Jake Michel, who posted an impressive 1:05.28 in the SB14 classification.

Michel won silver at the 2025 Para World Championships in this event in a time of 1:03.51.

Tim Hodge, SB8, and Riley Moore, SB9, also hit qualifying times in 1:12.73 and 1:10.49, respectively. Hodge had secured his qualification last night by winning the 200 IM.

WOMEN’S 800 FREESTYLE  – TIMED FINAL

• World Record: 8:04.12, Katie Ledecky (USA) – 2025
• Commonwealth Record: 8:05.07, Summer McIntosh (CAN) – 2025
• Australian Record: 8:05.98, Lani Pallister – 2025
• All Comers Record: 8:10.84, Lani Pallister (AUS) – 2025
• SA Qualifying Time: 8:27.51

Top 8 Overall (AUS)

1. Lani Pallister (St. Peters Western), 8:13.41
2. Molly Walker (Southern Performance), 8:26.01
3. Tiana Kritzinger (Rackley), 8:32.60
4. Amelia Weber (St. Peters Western), 8:34.73
5. Hannah Allen (Rackley), 8:39.06
6. Jacqueline Davison-McGovern (St. Peters Western), 8:42.07
7. Tayla Martin (Carlile), 8:50.23
8. Molly Young (Carlile), 8:51.57

After showing her speed was on good form earlier this week with a best time in the 200 free and a quick opening half of the 400 free, Lani Pallister went out fast again in tonight’s timed final of the women’s 800 free, and despite falling off a tad on the back half, she still won in dominant fashion.

Pallister flipped in 1:58.21 at the 200, under her Commonwealth and Australian Record pace of 1:58.92 from her breakthrough 8:05.98 swim last summer, and she was still 4:02.32 at the 400, within a second of her PB pace of 4:01.33.

From there, although Commonwealth and Aussie Record pace was pulling away, it looked like perhaps her All Comers Record of 8:10.84 might be in play. In that swim from last year’s Trials, she held 31-lows down the stretch, with a few 30-highs thrown in, whereas tonight, she was splitting in the 31.5 to 31.8 range over the second 400, resulting in her trailing off pace.

The 24-year-old ultimately touched the wall in a time of 8:13.41, the fourth-fastest swim of her career and the 54th-fastest ever, but she said post-race that it wasn’t about the time, but more about going aggressively and “hurting” late in the race to build more resiliency for the future.

Pallister went 8:11.28 at the Australian Open in April, which ranks her 3rd in the world this season behind Katie Ledecky (8:08.57) and Summer McIntosh (8:10.45).