By Retta Race on SwimSwam
2025 AUSTRALIAN SWIMMING TRIALS
- Monday, June 9th – Saturday, June 14th
- SA Aquatic & Leisure Centre, Oaklands Park, South Australia
- Prelims at 11am local (9:30pm ET night before)/Finals at 7:30pm local (6:00am ET) nights 1&2; 7pm local (5:30am ET) nights 3-6
- LCM (50m)
- Swimming Australia World Championships Selection Criteria
- Meet Central
- Livestream (VPN needed outside of Australia)
- Start List
- Heat Sheets
- Results
- Recaps
We’ve got another day of high-octane racing about to unfold at the 2025 Australian World Championship Trials as swimmers vie for slots on the nation’s roster for Singapore.
World record holder Kaylee McKeown led the women’s 200m backstroke heats and will look to complete her sweep of the discipline this evening, with Hannah Fredericks, Jaclyn Barclay and Jenna Forrester also in the mix.
The men’s 200m IM field is essentially wide open, although William Petric staked his claim with the sole sub-2:00 performance of the prelims. David Schlicht will flank him this evening, with Gabriel Gorgas on the other side.
Olympians Brendon Smith and Se-Bom Lee are also in the 2IM hunt.
2023 World Championships silver medalist Elizabeth Dekkers leads the women’s 200m butterfly while a big battle is brewing in the men’s 100m free.
Kyle Chalmers already qualified for Singapore in a silver medal-earning 50m free performance and will look to add the 100m free to his lineup. He’ll need to fend off the likes of Zac Incerti, Flynn Southam and Maximillian Giuliani, among others.
Women’s 200 Backstroke – FINAL
- World 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)
- 2024 Trials Winner: Kaylee McKeown, 2:03.30
- Swim Australia Qualifying Time: 2:10.51
GOLD – Kaylee McKeown, 2:04.47
SILVER – Hannah Fredericks, 2:09.54
BRONZE – Jenna Forrester, 2:11.79
Olympic champion Kaylee McKeown did not disappoint on her way to dominating this women’s 200m backstroke.
The 23-year-old busted out a season-best of 2:04.47 to beat the pack by over 5 seconds en route to adding this event to her Singapore lineup. The USC Spartan split 29.12/31.56/31.93/31.86 to shave .10 off her previous season-quickest effort of 2:04.57 notched at March’s NSW Championships.
She maintains her spot atop the world rankings on the season and remains the only swimmer on the planet who has been under 2:05 thus far.
2024-2025 LCM Women 200 Back
MCKEOWN
2:04.47
| 2 | Claire CURZAN |
USA | 2:05.09 | 06/05 |
| 3 | Regan Smith |
USA | 2:05.84 | 06/05 |
| 4 | Peng Xuwei |
CHN | 2:06.54 | 03/20 |
| 5 | Leah SHACKLEY |
USA | 2:06.66 | 06/04 |
22-year-old Hannah Fredericks of St. Peters Western clocked a speedy 2:09.54 to reap silver and also clear the World Championships qualification time of 2:10.51.
Fredericks’ lifetime best remains at the 2:08.25 at last year’s Olympic Trials, just missing out on the Paris team.
Jenna Forrester, also trained by Dean Boxall, settled for bronze in 2:11.79. She’ll have another attempt at making the squad via the women’s 400m IM.
Men’s 200 IM – FINAL
- World Record: 1:54.00 – Ryan Lochte, USA (2011)
- Australian Record: 1:55.72 – Mitch Larkin, 2019
- All Comers Record: 1:54.98 – Michael Phelps, USA (2007)
- 2024 Trials Winner: William Petric, 1:57.54
- Swim Australia Qualifying Time: 1:59.05
GOLD – David Schlicht, 1:58.10
SILVER – William Petric, 1:58.25
BRONZE – Brendon Smith, 2:00.04
Two men dipped under the Swimming Australia-mandated qualification time of 1:59.05, with David Schlicht and William Petric getting the job done.
Donning an ASU cap, 25-year-old Schlicht cleared the 2:00 barrier for the first time in his career, hitting 1:58.10 after a slight time delay with the results. Splits were incomplete on the results.
20-year-old Petric touched next in 1:58.25 in the duel, splitting 25.43/29.93/34.14/28.75 in the process. That checked in as the 4th-best time of the St. Peters Western swimmer’s career, one which boasts a lifetime best of 1:57.54 from last year’s Olympic Trials.
Petric placed 10th in Paris, producing a time there of 1:58.13 to miss out on the final.
Fellow Olympian Brendon Smith rounded out tonight’s podium in 2:00.04, well off his PB of 1:58.12 from last year’s Trials.
Women’s 200 Butterfly – FINAL
- World Record: 2:01.81 – Liu Zige, CHN (2009)
- Australian Record: 2:03.41 – Jessicah Schipper, (2009)
- All Comers Record: 2:05.20 – Elizabeth Dekkers, AUS (2024)
- 2024 Trials Winner: Elizabeth Dekkers, 2:06.01
- Swim Australia Qualifying Time: 2:09.21
GOLD – Brittany Castelluzzo, 2:06.91
SILVER – Abbey Connor, 2:07.14
BRONZE – Elizabeth Dekkers, 2:07.36
It was a slight upset in this women’s 200m butterfly as 2023 World Championships silver medalist Elizabeth Dekkers found herself in 3rd place behind winner Brittany Castelluzzo and runner-up Abbey Connor.
Making her first long course Australian international squad, 24-year-old Castelluzzo of Tea Tree Gully powered her way to a winning effort of 2:06.91. That mark fell just .05 outside her season-best and lifetime best of 2:06.86 established at April’s Australian National Championships to become the nation’s 11th-best performer of all time.
The 20-year-old Olympic finalist in this event, Connor touched next in 2:07.14 to also easily clear the 2:09.21 Swimming Australia-mandated QT needed for the World Championships. Connor’s PB remains at the 2:06.43 notched at last year’s Trials.
Men’s 100 Freestyle – FINAL
- World Record: 46.40 – Pan Zhanle, CHN (2024)
- Australian Record: 47.07 – Cam McEvoy
- All Comers Record: 47.04 – Cam McEvoy, AUS (2016)
- 2024 Trials Winner:Â Â Kyle Chalmers, 47.75
- Swim Australia Qualifying Time: 48.34
GOLD – Kyle Chalmers, 47.29
SILVER – Flynn Southam, 47.69
BRONZE – Maximillian Giuliani, 48.34
King Kyle Chalmers did his thing in this men’s 100m freestyle, reaping gold in a near-season best of 47.29.
26-year-old Chalmers of Marion opened in a swift 22.73 as the top contender leading out and brought it home in 24.56 to fall just .02 outside the 47.27 he nabbed at April’s Bergen Swim Festival to rank 3rd in the world this season.
20-year-old Flynn Southam carried his momentum from earning bronze in the 200m free, upgrading to silver here in a rapid 47.69.
Bond’s Southam split 23.28/24.41 to establish a new lifetime best. Entering this competition, Southam’s PB rested at the 47.77 registered 2 years ago. He just earned an individual spot in this 1free for Singapore.
TSS Aquatics ace Maximillian Giuliani wrangled up bronze in 48.34, within striking distance of his fastest-ever performance of 48.21 also from 2 years ago.
Kai Taylor of St. Peter’s Western clocked 48.37 to earn his slot on the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay as the 4th place finisher. Harrison Turner was 5th in 48.43 while Zac Incerti produced 48.46 for 6th place.
That’s a solid stable from which to draw the relay, putting Australia right up there as medal contenders for Singapore and beyond. For perspective, the top 4 Americans from Trials were Jack Alexy (46.99), Patrick Sammon (47.47), Chris Guiliano (47.49) and Destin Lasco (47.58).
Women’s 800 Freestyle – FINAL
- World Record: 8:04.12 – Katie Ledecky, USA (2025)
- Australian Record: 8:12.29 – Ariarne Titmus, (2024)
- AllComers Record: 8:11.35 – Katie Ledecky, USA (2014)
- 2024 Trials Winner: Ariarne Titmus – 8:14.06
- SwimAustralia Qualifying Time: 8:34.62
GOLD – Lani Pallister, 8:10.84 *Australian Record, All Comers Record
SILVER – Jamie Perkins, 8:26.20
BRONZE – Tiana Kritzinger, 8:32.77
23-year-old Lani Pallister busted out a new Australian national record of 8:10.84 to destroy the field and become the #3 performer of all time in the women’s 800m free.
Pallister delivered a monster performance, hacking over 4 seconds off her previous PB of 8:14.11 from the 2023 World Cup.
Pallister’s huge outing also overtook the All Comers Record of 8:11.35 Olympic multi-gold medalist Katie Ledecky of the United States put on the books over 10 years ago.
Also qualifying for the World Championships in this event was Jamie Perkins, hitting 8:26.20 for her first time ever under the 8:30 barrier.
Tiana Kritzinger rounded out tonight’s podium in 8:32.77.
Look for a follow-up post detailing Pallister’s enormous outing to make history in this event.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2025 Australian World Championship Trials: Day Four Finals Live Recap
