Aus Open Day 2 Preview: GC pool will glitter with talent

SOMEBODY say gold standard?

A sporran of hopeful Glasgow-bound stars will hit the water at Gold Coast Aquatic Centre on Day 2 of the Australian Open Swimming Championships with the competition pool glittering with big name talent.

Chalmers, K.
Cooper, I.
Temple. M
Ambruster, B.

And that is just the men’s 50m butterfly heat.

Throw in Para legend Rowan Crothers, a red-hot Lani Pallister (pictured), Alex Perkins, Sam Williamson and Kaylee McKeown and the $17 entry ticket is the best value blockbuster entertainment in town.

This meet is not the selection meet for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games to be later this year and most athletes are expected to use the three-day competition as a tune up for selection Trials in June.

But you can’t stop excellence.

Day 2 Athletes to look out for:

Lani Pallister | St Peters Western, QLD – 400m Free
Lani Pallister is the only female in today’s women’s 400m freestyle event to have a seed time under the 4-minute mark. Pallister joined the exclusive sub-4:00 club and became the seventh woman in history to do so when she stopped the clock at 3:59.72 at last year’s Trials. She will face heat today from former world champion and close rival Erika Fairweather from New Zealand.

Zac Stubblety-Cook | Griffith, QLD – 100m Breaststroke
A fully fit Zac Stubblety-Cook has officially announced his return to the national stage after his late withdrawal from last year’s World Championships due to a back injury.  Also, back in the water after a gruelling rehab is Sam Williamson. The pair are looking to make their mark ahead of this year’s Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacific Championships.

Meg Harris | Rackley, QLD – 50m Free
Meg Harris stole the show at the 2025 World Championships when she won her first individual world title in the women’s 50m freestyle. The two-time Olympian will have to defend her Australian sprint title from Liv Wunsch, Shayna Jack and Alex Perkins.

Elijah Winnington | St Peters Western, QLD – 200m Free
Dolphins leader and multiple Olympic medallist Elijah Winnington will face a rising wave of middle-distance freestylers led by Max Giuliani, the defending national champion, and Ed Sommerville, the fastest entrant. Don’t rule out Sam Short and Flynn Southam who are also in the mix as hot chances claim the Australian title.

Ainsley Trotter | Bond, QLD – 100m Backstroke
Ainsley Trotter was Australia’s only gold medallist at the 2025 World Junior Championships in the 50m backstroke and one to watch on the road to LA. Now 18, Trotter will contest the women’s 100m backstroke alongside two of Australia’s most dominating Dolphins, Kaylee McKeown and Mollie O’Callaghan.

Callum Simpson | Flinders Phoenix, QLD – 100m Free MC
This 18-year-old just competed at his last Age Championships and will now face the big guns in today’s men’s 100m freestyle multi class. Making his Dolphins debut in Paris 2024, Callum Simpson has already cleaned up on the world stage – winning Paralympic and World Championships gold in the 100m freestyle S8. All that’s missing is the men’s Australian title – a title that has been claimed by Rowan Crothers seven times in a row.