Sam Short Rips 3:42.46 400 Free As 10th Fastest Performer All-Time

2023 AUSTRALIAN SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

While competing on day one of the non-selection 2023 Australian National Championships, 19-year-old Sam Short put up the fastest 400m freestyle of his young career to enter the all-time rankings.

Stopping the clock in a swift 3:42.46, Short beat out Olympian and reigning world champion Elijah Winnington, with Winnington settling for silver nearly 4 seconds behind in 3:46.39. Tommy Neill rounded out the top 3 in 3:49.28.

As for Short, entering this meet he’d been as quick as 3:44.34, a mark he put up at this same meet one year ago. But with tonight’s swim he dropped almost 2 solid seconds to enter entirely new territory. He’s now the 10th fastest performer in history worldwide and passes up icon Grant Hackett to become the 4th quickest Australian 400m freestyler in history.

Top 10 Men’s LCM 400 Freestyle Performers All-Time

  1. Paul Biedermann (GER) – 3:40.07, 2009
  2. Ian Thorpe (AUS) – 3:40.08, 2002
  3. Sun Yang (CHN) – 3:40.14, 2012
  4. Ous Mellouli (TUN) – 3:41.11, 2009
  5. Elijah Winnington (AUS) – 3:41.22, 2022
  6. Zhang Lin (CHN) – 3:41.35, 2009
  7. Park Tae Hwan (KOR) – 3:41.53, 2010
  8. Mack Horton (AUS) – 3:41.55, 2016
  9. Lukas Martens (GER) – 3:41.60, 2022
  10. Sam Short (AUS) – 3:42.46, 2023

Top 5 Australian Men’s LCM 400 Freestyle Performers

  1. Ian Thorpe – 3:40.08, 2002
  2. Elijah Winnington – 3:41.22, 2022
  3. Mack Horton – 3:41.55, 2016
  4. Sam Short – 3:42.46, 2023
  5. Grant Hackett – 3:42.51, 2001

Short also now ranks #1 in the world this season.

2022-2023 LCM Men 400 Free

SamuelAUS
Short
07/23
3:40.68
2Ahmed
Hafnaoui
TUN3:40.7007/23
3Lukas
Martens
GER3:42.2007/23
4Elijah
Winnington
AUS3:43.4806/13
5Guilherme
Costa
BRA3:43.5807/23
View Top 26»

The Rackley star was a two-time medalist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, claiming 1500m free gold (14:48.54) and 400m free silver (3:45.07). His new PB of 3:42.46 would have taken silver behind Winnington at last year’s World Championships.

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Justhereforfun
1 year ago

Looking at this list of all-time Australian performers really reminds us of how lackluster the US is in this event compared to other events

Justhereforfun
Reply to  Justhereforfun
1 year ago

And it really makes you wonder why, is 500y really that different from 400LCM training wise? Or is SCY too focused on relays that mid-distance swimmers end up focusing on the 200 to contribute more to the team?

Sub13
1 year ago

I swear the mind blowing swims are always the least expected! Such a pleasant surprise

Troyy
Reply to  Sub13
1 year ago

He’s shown a lot of promise so it’s not too surprising that he’s gone 3:42 only that he did it this week and not at trials.

Sub13
Reply to  Troyy
1 year ago

Even so, I don’t think a sudden 2 second PB is “expected” from anyone (other than maybe Summer McIntosh). He jumped from 37th all time to 10th in one race. That’s gotta be pretty rare.

PFA
Reply to  Sub13
1 year ago

I think he can go a lot faster than he just did here. Short is about to have his international breakout this year.

Bud
Reply to  PFA
1 year ago

Well, define a LOT…
A lot faster would be WR

Emily Se-Bom Lee
Reply to  Bud
1 year ago

he’s 2.4 seconds off the wr. even dropping a full second could be considered a lot

Grant us eyes
1 year ago

I still can’t believe without Biederman , Thorpe would the longest standing WR holder by almost 21 years…

Josh Prenot’s Revenge
Reply to  Grant us eyes
1 year ago

And apart from Sun Yang in 2012, no one has really been close either…. As an aside, I think Yang breaks it in 2012 if he’s not painfully long on the finish. Thorpe too tended to really glide into the wall. I think with some better finishes 3:39.8-9 would’ve been the time to beat.

Anonymous
Reply to  Grant us eyes
1 year ago

Of all the records to fall from the supersuits, Thorpe’s 400 was the most painful for me.

Grant us eyes
Reply to  Anonymous
1 year ago

Hell yeah

Robbos
Reply to  Anonymous
1 year ago

Yes I agree.

Robbos
1 year ago

WOW, the swim of the night!!!!!

Surely he hasn’t tapered.
He’s a better 800 & 1500 swimmer, after your Wiffen (the Irish swimmer) swimming 3 PBs in 400, 800 & 1500 & in the latter 2 now amongst the best ever, could Short now do likewise?

SHRKB8
Reply to  Robbos
1 year ago

Certainly not tapered or rested here. I would be rapt to see a big pb in the 1500 but that is a different beast of a race to a 400. I will say though he certainly has plenty of “easy speed” so who knows.

Emily Se-Bom Lee
Reply to  SHRKB8
1 year ago

not to mention he’ll have the 200 earlier in the session

SHRKB8
Reply to  Emily Se-Bom Lee
1 year ago

Yeah I am sure he won’t swim the 200 final regardless of heat time. Maybe coach will change his mind after this 400 to throw a little extra hurdle for Sam to overcome??? Not like anyone is close to him by seed time in the 1500 so it could be a good test for him (coaches can be funny like this, just not funny if you’re the swimmer lol)

Sub13
Reply to  SHRKB8
1 year ago

There are ten events between the 200 and 1500. That’s minimum 90 minutes? I reckon he can handle both.

Olek
Reply to  Sub13
1 year ago

One thing is if he cound handle it physically (Wich he should), another thing is mentally have to reset from the first race to another and do the 1500 at the end.

Last edited 1 year ago by Olek
Noah
Reply to  Robbos
1 year ago

No one’s ever tapered

Robbos
Reply to  Noah
1 year ago

Yes very true.
But in this case why would he, a month out from the Trials.
Some swimmers can swim well untapered, others no chance.

SHRKB8
Reply to  Robbos
1 year ago

I can tell you with absolute certainty Sam is an extremely hard trainer and this meet is just another very hard training session (albeit with extra fluffy feelings if he performs well, which the hard trainers will do under load).

draft chaser
Reply to  SHRKB8
1 year ago

loved his interview. he couldn’t believe and said he was being hammered with aerobic work at the moment

draft chaser
Reply to  Robbos
1 year ago

His 400m time is now miles ahead of his pbs in 8 and 15 in terms of world ranks. Looking forward to see what he does in the 8 (maybe sub 746) but not sure if he goes 1440s in 15.

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