Day 7 Finals Wrap 2025 Australian Age Championships

TEENAGE sensation Sienna Toohey (pictured) could be a potential bolter for the World Championships in Singapore later this year.

An Australian Junior Team will be selected following the Australian Age Championships and while there are still two days of the program to go, Toohey has been one of the breakout athletes.

Her head-turning form – which included a national record in the 16 years 50m breaststroke tonight – may have also caught the eye of senior head coach Rohan Taylor ahead of the Australian Open Championships from April 21-24, and Singapore World Trials in June.

While there are many strokes and frog kicks to go, what started as a quest to secure a spot in the Junior Dolphins team headed to Romania may now include an earlier stopover in Singapore.

Tonight’s win (30.73secs) secured Toohey’s fourth gold after her 200m breaststroke (2:27.92), a national record in the girls’ 100m breaststroke event and a gold in the 200 IM.

Coached by Wayne Gould, the rise of Albury’s Toohey has come at the perfect time for the Dolphins’ breaststroke stocks following the retirements of Olympic medallists Jenna Strauch and Chelsea Hodges.

Breaststroke is technically considered by many as the most challenging stroke because it is a very ‘timing sensitive’ – it’s all about rhythm and timing. Large fluctuations in velocity caused by the recovery phase of the legs makes it a hard stroke to swim.

But it seems as if Toohey’s timing is perfect … and tantalising … ahead of LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032.

In all, three individual records were broken tonight: Bryce Krause (Fairholme) continued his outstanding form to win the 14 years 100m back in age record time (57.07) and Victorian Henry Allan completely dominated the 16 years age group.

The Bendigo backstroker touched the wall in 24.88 beating his previous mark 25.05.

Tonight’s 4x50m freestyle relays saw three national records broken.

Griffith University’s girls 15-17 years relay line up of Maya Zunker, Tribeca Liu, Alice Monaghan and Piper Asquith set a record time of 1:43.98.

The young guns from Knox Pymble, Ethan Haegebaert, Lukas Dunn, Hudson Hegarty and Oliver Wall, won the boys’ 14-15 4x50m freestyle relay in national record time of 1:33.66. The Sydney club also claimed the boys’ 16-18 age record with Jack Mitchell, Tristen Waugh (V), Daniel Seo and Dylan Zhou (1:33.24).

Also featuring tonight were Darwin’s Macey, redemption, and the Wearing twins.

Northern Territory teenager Macey Sheridan (29.10) won her third gold of the meet, her long frame out-touching Eloise McLellan (29.70) with Jessica Melo (29.80) third.

And for almost 72 hours, Rockhampton’s Amelie Smith thought she may have missed her best chance for World Junior selection after missing her 200 IM but then she ripped a 4:45.49 in the 16 years’ 400 IM – five seconds under the qualifying time for Romania – to put herself in the frame for selection.

“When I hit the wall, I was so stoked turning around and seeing that time. I did want to go a little bit quicker, but I was still really happy. My goal coming into this meet was to get a medal or make a final in each of them,” she said.

Having won gold in the 1500m, a bronze in the 200m breaststroke, gold in the 800m and now gold in the 400, Smith said: “I feel … like I might just have a bit more grit. Most people focus on a specific stroke but I kind of do everything. I even like open water.”

Local twins – the Wearing brothers – claimed gold and silver in the 15 years 200m free with Lincoln (1:51.51) touching ahead of Isaac (1:54.33). Darwin’s Liam Brown was third (1:54.40).

In other events:

• Ciara Jeffs’ tour de podium continued with her third gold and second silver secured. In tonight’s ‘ 14-years 200m freestyle Jeffs hit the wall at 2:03.66 almost three seconds before Jessica Conrad in second (2:06.45) and Ava Hogan third (2:06.79). Yarra Plenty’s Jeffs backed up with a silver in the 200m freestyle after a final 50m battle with Madison McKenna to touch in second by 0.45s at the 1:03.85 mark. For McKenna this was her first gold of the meet (1:03.40).
• A DQ in the boys’ 17-year 400m individual medley brought heartbreak to St Peters’ Western Cael Eley but gold to Sydney Kito from Cairns Stingrays. Eley, who charged home in first place, did not touch the wall with both hands at the breaststroke turn. As a result, Kito was awarded gold (4:29.77) followed by Grayson Doig (4:31.65) and Daniel Carter (4:38.60).
• Lukas Dunn delivered back-to-back golden performances tonight. Son of Olympian Matt Dunn, the Knox Pymble swimmer took out the 15-years 100m backstroke (57.11) and 50m butterfly (24.74). Dunn was closely followed by Maxwell Cunningham who placed second in the 50 fly (24.88) and touched third but claimed silver as the second placed Australian in the 100 backstroke (59.52). Singapore’s Tedd Windsor Chan finished ahead of Cunningham with a time of 58.13.
• Zoe Ammundsen (1:00.80), Isabel Sheldrick (1:01.23) and Ainsley Trotter (1:01.46) all bettered the qualifying time in the girls’ 17-years 100m backstroke. After taking out gold, Ammundsen is looking forward to resting ahead of the final day of racing on Friday 18 April.

Day 8 heats start at 9am AEST.

Full results can be found here: https://liveresults.swimming.org.au/sal/2025Age/