Latest news with #SwimmingAustralia
Perth Now
4 days ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Australian swimming's fresh wave face world title test
The new wave in Australian swimming face an immediate resilience test at the world titles, head coach Rohan Taylor says. Taylor is overseeing a Dolphins team with a near-quarter of debutants, plus five new coaches, at the championships starting on Sunday in Singapore. "We don't have a footy game every week, we go once this year," Taylor told AAP. "So we have got to make sure that they get the experience. "Next year we will have a multiple competitions that they will be exposed to. "But the first one is the one that will test their resilience." Proven performers and gold-medal winners including Kaylee McKeown, Kyle Chalmers, Cam McEvoy and Mollie O'Callaghan form a core of a team including 10 world championship rookies including 16-year-old breaststroker Sienna Toohey. And the 10-strong coaching team under Swimming Australia's head coach Taylor has been revamped after last year's Paris Olympics with five fresh faces. Taylor was impressed with integration of the newcomers at the Dolphins' camp in Darwin before arriving in Singapore. "Having new people come in - a quarter of the team, half the coaching staff - they slotted in really well, it was really nice to see. That is the first step," he said. "The second step will be when they get into competition, obviously anything can happen. "It's going to be how they manage themselves, manage the ups and downs that come with it. "We have had a pretty consistent group of coaches and athletes over the last cycle that we worked with. This is just a new test for us as a leadership." The titles were vital for Taylor's plans for the ultimate goal, the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. "I want to be able to look at the next three years to ensure we're working on all the key things for LA," he said. "I just want to know where are our gaps, where are our strengths ... and what do we need to be doing about it as an organisation." Australia will unveil a revamped women's 4x100m freestyle relay team on night one at the Singapore Sports Hub. The retired Emma McKeon and Shayna Jack, who missed selection, are missing from the relay team that won Olympic gold last year. Also on night one, Paris silver medallist Elijah Winnington and a rejuvenated Sam Short renew rivalry with Germany's Olympic champion Lukas Martens in the men's 400m freestyle. And with Ariarne Titmus yet to return post-Olympics, Lani Pallister will fly the Australian flag in a highly-anticipated women's 400m freestyle boasting Canadian Summer McIntosh and American legend Katie Ledecky. McIntosh, at Canada's trials last month, regained the 400m free world record from Titmus and also set global records in the 200m individual medley and 400m individual medley.
Sky News AU
22-07-2025
- Business
- Sky News AU
Brisbane Aquatic Centre for 2032 Olympics to cost $1.2 billion
Brisbane's National Aquatic Centre for the 2032 Olympics will now cost $1.2 billion to be built. It is almost double the $650 million forecasted by Swimming Australia in February. It will be the second most expensive Olympic venue after the $3.8 billion main stadium at Victoria Park.
7NEWS
21-07-2025
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Boy with autism ‘excluded' from NSW Primary School Cross Country Championships
New South Wales' athletics guidelines are under the spotlight after a 10-year-old with autism was excluded from this week's Primary School Cross Country Championships. Charlie Cox progressed to the North Coast Cross Country Championships and made it to the state finals as a special needs athlete — but the education department then delivered the news that he would not be allowed to compete. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Boy with autism 'excluded' from cross-country championships. 'We were very disappointed that Charlie was excluded,' father Owen told 7NEWS Sydney. In 2022, Swimming Australia introduced classifications for swimmers with Down syndrome and formally diagnosed high-functioning autism. Australian Athletics does not include autism within its framework. 'As such, the inclusion of an autism category for the sports of athletics and cross country are not feasible in the Representative School Sport Pathway as there are no nationally recognised benchmarks to support fair and consistent result calculation,' the NSW Department of Education told the family. 'Other states and territories that have made local provisions for participation do so outside the formal School Sport Australia pathway and there is no fair or consistent result calculation, nor is there a pathway to the next level of representation. 'Your concern is acknowledged and please be reassured that the NSW Department of Education remains committed to advocating for broader inclusion through national sporting bodies such as Athletics Australia.' Charlie's exclusion comes after Year 10 student Hugo was initially blocked from competing in long-distance running events due to safety concerns. Hugo has the genetic disorder achondroplasia, the most common form of short-limbed dwarfism. He was later permitted to compete. Charlie's family is now hoping for a permanent change to athletics' autism guidelines. 'We are hoping that there's some type of intervention from the government,' Owen said. Charlie said he 'loves to run' and has trained for the past three years. 'Fingers crossed things can change,' he said.
7NEWS
16-06-2025
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Olympic champion Kaylee McKeown issues statement on dramatic Australian swimming trials
Kaylee McKeown has released a statement in the wake of her dramatic disqualification and then reinstatement at the Australian national swimming trials in Adelaide. The five-time Olympic gold medallist was initially rubbed out of a 50m backstroke heat last week before a successful protest saw her reinstated as the winner of the race. In an Instagram post on Monday, McKeown insisted the protest was warranted and necessary. 'I've copped quite a bit of scrutiny over the past week for my DQ in the 50 backstroke,' she wrote. 'I'd just like to clarify that while it was a clear disqualification, I was able to lodge a protest due to movement directly behind my starting block. I followed all the standard procedures for my reinstatement! 'For those who know me well, you'll know I'm all for fair sport and certainly wouldn't have protested if I knew I didn't have a fair case. 'What I'm not for is people tearing others down... at no point was I shown any favouritism.' The ruling had initially dashed her hopes of competing for a world championships gold medal in one of her signature events at Singapore later this year. But officials heard McKeown's protest and accepted that she had been 'distracted by a movement' on the blocks. The 23-year-old's lightning time of 27.27 did not come up on the board when she touched the wall to win her heat. After the race, a Swimming Australia staff member consoled McKeown, who opted not to speak to media when she got out of the pool as she was ushered away in devastation. The formal appeal issued by her team was later upheld though, granting McKeown the chance to compete in the final later that night. Mollie O'Callaghan qualified second with a time of 27.72, the only other swimmer to hit the world championships qualification standard, which is 27.74. To earn selection for Singapore, swimmers must finish in the top two of their event and better the world championships standard. McKeown is the current 50m backstroke world record-holder. The five-time Olympic gold medallist refused to detail the exact distraction that caused her initial disqualification. 'Things happen and it just crumbled that way,' she said. 'I knew as soon as I started, what I had done. 'But thankfully we had the technology to look back at footage and saw the distraction and I got reinstated.' With her victory, McKeown secured her ticket to the world championships in Singapore from July 27 to August 3.
The Advertiser
11-06-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Olympic swim champ issues blunt warning to rivals
Australia's Olympic champion Cam McEvoy has issued a grim warning to rivals after posting the fastest 50m freestyle time in the world this year. McEvoy's sustained stretch of excellence continued with victory at Australia's selection trials for the looming world championships. The 31-year-old clocked 21.30 seconds in Adelaide on Wednesday night - and then declared he can still improve. "I definitely think I can go faster before the world champs; how much though I'm not sure," McEvoy said. "But longer term, like more LA (2028 Olympic) levels to the future, I think, yeah, there's a lot more I can improve." McEvoy, who won last year's Olympic final in 21.25, touched ahead of Kyle Chalmers who set a personal best time of 21.68 at the South Australian Aquatic Centre. Chalmers is racing in the splash-and-dash purely to improve front-end speed in his pet 100m freestyle, an event he has won Olympic gold and two silvers. "I had to really trust myself ... just try and stay relaxed in an environment that is a little bit foreign for me," Chalmers said. "I'm not a 50 swimmer and never really know what's going to happen." In the women's 200m freestyle, Olympic champion Mollie O'Callaghan triumphed while testing out her new mantra: have fun. Her plan didn't quite work. O'Callaghan, who readily admits feeling the crush of expectation, admitted she remained "emotional" and "anxious". O'Callaghan was Australia's most successful athlete at last year's Olympics with three gold medals plus a silver and bronze. The 21-year-old then took five months off in a bid to balance her competitive instinct with having fun. "That's something I'm still learning," she said. "After the Olympics, I achieved everything I wanted to and I needed that mental recovery after that. "This year is about having fun but there's been a lot of curve balls thrown at me so it's making it very hard to have fun." O'Callaghan, who has been battling a knee injury, clocked one minute 54.43 seconds to finish ahead of Lani Pallister (1:54.89). Also Wednesday night, Sam Short's return to form continued by winning the men's 800m freestyle in 7:40.95. And in the women's 50m breaststroke, 16-year-old Sienna Toohey again prevailed - a night after earning selection for the worlds by winning the 100m breaststroke. Toohey won the shorter final in 30.79 seconds, outside the qualifying time for the event set by Swimming Australia. The Albury schoolgirl shut down social media after her Tuesday night feat when hailed as the future of Australian swimming. "I saw a bit of it popping up and then I was like: 'Oh, I can't get too full of myself' so I put my phone on 'do not disturb'," Toohey said. Former talented cross country runner Harry Turner won the men's 200m butterfly in 1:54.90 to secure selection for the world titles in Singapore from July 27-August 3. Nash Wilkes won the men's 50m breaststroke in 27.52, outside Swimming Australia's automatic qualifying time for the worlds. Australia's Olympic champion Cam McEvoy has issued a grim warning to rivals after posting the fastest 50m freestyle time in the world this year. McEvoy's sustained stretch of excellence continued with victory at Australia's selection trials for the looming world championships. The 31-year-old clocked 21.30 seconds in Adelaide on Wednesday night - and then declared he can still improve. "I definitely think I can go faster before the world champs; how much though I'm not sure," McEvoy said. "But longer term, like more LA (2028 Olympic) levels to the future, I think, yeah, there's a lot more I can improve." McEvoy, who won last year's Olympic final in 21.25, touched ahead of Kyle Chalmers who set a personal best time of 21.68 at the South Australian Aquatic Centre. Chalmers is racing in the splash-and-dash purely to improve front-end speed in his pet 100m freestyle, an event he has won Olympic gold and two silvers. "I had to really trust myself ... just try and stay relaxed in an environment that is a little bit foreign for me," Chalmers said. "I'm not a 50 swimmer and never really know what's going to happen." In the women's 200m freestyle, Olympic champion Mollie O'Callaghan triumphed while testing out her new mantra: have fun. Her plan didn't quite work. O'Callaghan, who readily admits feeling the crush of expectation, admitted she remained "emotional" and "anxious". O'Callaghan was Australia's most successful athlete at last year's Olympics with three gold medals plus a silver and bronze. The 21-year-old then took five months off in a bid to balance her competitive instinct with having fun. "That's something I'm still learning," she said. "After the Olympics, I achieved everything I wanted to and I needed that mental recovery after that. "This year is about having fun but there's been a lot of curve balls thrown at me so it's making it very hard to have fun." O'Callaghan, who has been battling a knee injury, clocked one minute 54.43 seconds to finish ahead of Lani Pallister (1:54.89). Also Wednesday night, Sam Short's return to form continued by winning the men's 800m freestyle in 7:40.95. And in the women's 50m breaststroke, 16-year-old Sienna Toohey again prevailed - a night after earning selection for the worlds by winning the 100m breaststroke. Toohey won the shorter final in 30.79 seconds, outside the qualifying time for the event set by Swimming Australia. The Albury schoolgirl shut down social media after her Tuesday night feat when hailed as the future of Australian swimming. "I saw a bit of it popping up and then I was like: 'Oh, I can't get too full of myself' so I put my phone on 'do not disturb'," Toohey said. Former talented cross country runner Harry Turner won the men's 200m butterfly in 1:54.90 to secure selection for the world titles in Singapore from July 27-August 3. Nash Wilkes won the men's 50m breaststroke in 27.52, outside Swimming Australia's automatic qualifying time for the worlds. Australia's Olympic champion Cam McEvoy has issued a grim warning to rivals after posting the fastest 50m freestyle time in the world this year. McEvoy's sustained stretch of excellence continued with victory at Australia's selection trials for the looming world championships. The 31-year-old clocked 21.30 seconds in Adelaide on Wednesday night - and then declared he can still improve. "I definitely think I can go faster before the world champs; how much though I'm not sure," McEvoy said. "But longer term, like more LA (2028 Olympic) levels to the future, I think, yeah, there's a lot more I can improve." McEvoy, who won last year's Olympic final in 21.25, touched ahead of Kyle Chalmers who set a personal best time of 21.68 at the South Australian Aquatic Centre. Chalmers is racing in the splash-and-dash purely to improve front-end speed in his pet 100m freestyle, an event he has won Olympic gold and two silvers. "I had to really trust myself ... just try and stay relaxed in an environment that is a little bit foreign for me," Chalmers said. "I'm not a 50 swimmer and never really know what's going to happen." In the women's 200m freestyle, Olympic champion Mollie O'Callaghan triumphed while testing out her new mantra: have fun. Her plan didn't quite work. O'Callaghan, who readily admits feeling the crush of expectation, admitted she remained "emotional" and "anxious". O'Callaghan was Australia's most successful athlete at last year's Olympics with three gold medals plus a silver and bronze. The 21-year-old then took five months off in a bid to balance her competitive instinct with having fun. "That's something I'm still learning," she said. "After the Olympics, I achieved everything I wanted to and I needed that mental recovery after that. "This year is about having fun but there's been a lot of curve balls thrown at me so it's making it very hard to have fun." O'Callaghan, who has been battling a knee injury, clocked one minute 54.43 seconds to finish ahead of Lani Pallister (1:54.89). Also Wednesday night, Sam Short's return to form continued by winning the men's 800m freestyle in 7:40.95. And in the women's 50m breaststroke, 16-year-old Sienna Toohey again prevailed - a night after earning selection for the worlds by winning the 100m breaststroke. Toohey won the shorter final in 30.79 seconds, outside the qualifying time for the event set by Swimming Australia. The Albury schoolgirl shut down social media after her Tuesday night feat when hailed as the future of Australian swimming. "I saw a bit of it popping up and then I was like: 'Oh, I can't get too full of myself' so I put my phone on 'do not disturb'," Toohey said. Former talented cross country runner Harry Turner won the men's 200m butterfly in 1:54.90 to secure selection for the world titles in Singapore from July 27-August 3. Nash Wilkes won the men's 50m breaststroke in 27.52, outside Swimming Australia's automatic qualifying time for the worlds.
