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:
On Friday, Sam Short won the 1500 freestyle, his 4th and final event of the 2026 Australian Swimming Trials. This was not only his 4th event of the meet, but was also his 4th event win of the meet, marking a clean sweep of the 200, 400, 800, and 1500 freestyle events. With this win, he becomes the first man since Grant Hackett in 2005 to accomplish this feat.
On top of sweeping the distance events, Short also set a new textile world record in the 800 freestyle, stopping the clock in 7:36.73 to become the fastest male swimmer since the end of the super suit era in 2009.
He also set the 5th fastest time in history in the men’s 400 freestyle of 3:40.67, picking up the fastest time in the world this season, and moved up to #4 this season in the 1500 and #6 in the world this season in the 200.
Short posted about his meet on Instagram, revealing that he has shifted his focus events recently with the 1500 outside his target these days, and he said it was “good to see” that he’s still “got it”. This shift is clearly working well for Short, as even without his full focus on the event, he still set one of the top times in the world this year.
Short is the latest in a long line of Australian freestylers that have long been at the top of the world rankings, and he seemed like the heir apparent to the Australian freestyle throne. Hackett was the most in-line with Short’s events, and won the 400, 800, and 1500 freestyle at the 2005 World Championships, the same summer he won all four events at the Australian Trials.
Ian Thorpe is another Australian freestyle legend, though he focused more on the middle-distance events of the 200 and 400 free, but is widely regarded as one of the best, if not the best, male middle distance freestylers of all time.
Most recently, the Aussies had Mack Horton filling those shoes, winning Olympic gold in the 400 freestyle back in 2016, along with a host of other medals in the 800 and 1500 freestyle events during his senior career.
Short’s performance at this meet feels like it has been a long time coming for those familiar with his journey. At the World Championships in 2023, Short won the 400 freestyle in a time of 3:40.68. He also won the silver medal in the 800 free (7:37.76) and the bronze medal in the 1500 free (14:37.28). All three of those swims were his lifetime best times until this weekend.
In 2024, Short finished 2nd in the 400 and 800 freestyle at the Australian Trials and had to scratch the 1500 due to illness. He was still able to participate in all three events at the Games, but his highest finish was 4th in the 400 freestyle (3:42.64) and he failed to make the 800 (7:46.83) or 1500 (14:58.15) final entirely.
Later, Short called the performance a “failure”, stating “A combination of illnesses and injuries ultimately derailed my year heading into trials and the games [sic]”. He also said he would be taking a long break to undergo shoulder rehab before the 2025 season.
At the 2025 Trials, Short won the 400 (3:41.03), 800 (7:40.95), and 1500 (14:52.43) freestyle events, all with times faster than he swam at the 2024 Olympics, and he seemed primed to return to his 2023 form at the 2025 World Championships.
In Singapore, however, Short became one of the victims of the infamous “illness” that spread around the meet, which led to him scratching the 800 free final after he finished 2nd in the prelims. He still raced the 400 free, finishing 2nd in 3:42.37, and the 1500 free, finishing 4th in 14:43.08, but these swims were still not up to the standard many expected to see from him.
With his breakthrough at the Australian Trials this year, there will be a lot of eyes on him for the Commonwealth Games and the Pan-Pacific Championships as he tries to stay healthy and potentially break a few world records.
7:35 incoming
Not too fast at the important events though – The 50 and 100.
Is Bobby Finke swimming 21 and 47?
Bobby who
Hello Prop.
Welcome to SwimSwam.
Bibby Finke is a triple Olympic Gold Medallist, and he is also the WR holder at 1500m.
I’m glad that I could help.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Please remember your sunscreen for your Everybody Welcome splashabout today.
Sincerely,
64x25m.
I’d love to see the time comparisons. Short was definitely faster in the 200/400/800 but I think Hackett’s 2005 time in the 1500 might have been faster.
Hackett was 14:44 at the trials and 14:42.58 at the worlds.
His PB of course was 14:34.56 from Fukuoka.
Yeah Hackett’s peak swimming year was 2001. It’s just it coincided with Thorpe’s peak year, which overshadowed how amazing it actually was.
Hackett’s 2001 times:
200 – 1:46.1 leading off the relay (more than 2s faster than any other lead off, and faster than every flying leg bar Thorpe, Klete Keller anchored USA in 1:47.5)
400 – 3:42.5 (2.6s faster than bronze)
800 – 7:40.3 (almost 11s faster than bronze)
1500 – 14:34.5 (24.5s faster than silver and the ONLY WR to survive the super suit era)
He improved his PB’s slightly to 1:45.84 at 2002 Pan Pacs and 7:38.65 (WR) at 2005 Worlds but 25 years on, his Fukuoka performances remain incredible
For comparison,… Read more »
Thing is, sprinting has changed it’s training a lot since the early 2000s in a way distance hasn’t, or I should say it’s been more optimized since the 2000s.
No doubt Hackett was one of the greatest freestylers ever, but if 2001 Ervin was swimming today he’d be waaaay faster.
I mean he basically proved that by going 21.40 in the 50 free with modern suits and training as a 35 year old haha.
How is this controversial? Do you guys really believe that swim inflation has not been a thing?
Not saying that it didn’t exist for distance swimming either, Hackett totally would be dominating today, all I’m saying is that Hoogenband’s 47.84 from Sydney is just as impressive as a 46 today.
Ervin would absolutely be finaling in the 50/100 if he was born 2 decades later.
You’re getting downvoted because what you’re saying:
1. Doesn’t make sense;
2. Is objectively wrong; and
3. An attempt to inexplicably promote Adrian in a post that has nothing to do with him and use that to discredit Hackett?
Like you quite literally say Hackett’s swims aren’t as impressive despite the fact they still would be winning medals. Then saying that Adrian’s swims, which are nowhere near the current best, actually would be winning.
Then you make a nonsense strawman to defend it. “Wow you don’t believe in simulation”?
You’re just making a nonsense claim of “Adrian would definitely still be competitive if he was born later”. You could literally make that claim about anyone.
I could… Read more »
1. What doesn’t make sense to you? That swimmers today swim faster because of better training, tech suits, and advancements in the sport? Do you think that Michael Andrew is a better 50 freestyler than Tom Jager and Matt Biondi?
He’s gone 21.41 while Biondi and Jager went 21.8 in a practice suit, no underwaters, off of blocks that were like 2 feet long, and in an era 35 years removed in sprint training and knowledge. Perhaps there’s some nuance here.
2. Anthony Ervin objectively went 21.40 in the 50 free at the 2016 Olympics. That is much faster than the 22.0 and 21.98 he swam at the 2001 worlds and 2000 Olympics that was at the time, the… Read more »
This guy flunks at the big dance
He’s won 4 individual medals at the world championships. One of them gold.
Thats not the big dance
You know that he was ill and injured before Paris, right?
Or I can give you a very loooong list of great swimmers who never won individual Olympic gold or no Olympics medal at all.
World Championship (LC) and Olympic are the big dance
They’re the major swimming events.
I mean, they’re nowhere near equal tho. For actual fans the difference isn’t as wide as short course WCs to long course WCs, but for casuals it might as well be.
So, this means Jenny Thompson flunked the big dance since she never won Olympic individual gold.
You must be from Kiribati the way you’re always posting goofy comments
He was injured and had illness before Paris, disrupting his training.
He had gastroenteritis (thanks to American swimmers who spread the disease) during Singapore, and yet she won 400 silver and a respectable 14:43 in 1500, but he had to scratch 800, the event where he was a favorite to win.
How can you say he flunks at the big dance when he was healthy in 2023 Fukuoka and won 400 gold, 800 silver, and 1500 bronze.
Only Americans are allowed excuses, Simone and Dressel or illnesses American swimmers, if Aussies dont win they choke.
Exactly.
All American swimmers were ill in Singapore.
None of non- American swimmers were in ill in Singapore, even if they caught the bug from American swimmers.
It’s in line with the logic of their president.
Logic? 😂
I don’t know about a few… maybe the 400 free, but the 800, 200, and 1500 are HIGHLY unlikely.
He (or no one else in the next decade for that matter) won’t break 800 WR
But at least Short broke 800 textile WR
Chance of breaking textile 200 record?
Zero, he doesn’t have the speed.
200 free is basically a longer sprint.
He literally went out in a PB 100 free on his 1.45 from this week, 51.4
51 PB gives you 1:45. The OP asked if he could break 200 textile record, which is 1:42.97
He has to be able to swim low 48 100 free to have any chance to swim sub 1:43 200 free.
Thorpe had 48.5 and 3:40 PB (likely 3:39 in that swim if he had now slowed down) and his 200 PB is 1:44.0