McKeown, Simpson, Johnson and Pallister claim top gongs at Swim Aus Awards

SINGAPORE flyers and world championship gold medallists Kaylee McKeown (pictured left), Moesha Johnson, Callum Simpson (pictured right) and Lani Pallister capped off extraordinary 2025 campaigns with top gongs at today’s Swimming Australia Awards.

In front of almost 250 guests on the Gold Coast, the quartet added yet more titles to their burgeoning resumes in claiming the Olympic, Paralympic, Open Water and Short Course Swimmer of the Year Awards.

For world record holder McKeown and world’s best open water swimmer Johnson, the night marked back-to-back wins in their respective programs.

Both had historic success at July’s Singapore World Championships: McKeown defending her 100m-200m backstroke crowns and then adding a silver in the 4x100m medley relay alongside Ella Ramsay, Alex Perkins and Mollie O’Callaghan.

And this was all before her short course heroics during the World Cup Series in October when she broke the 200m backstroke world record – twice.

Recording a time of 1:57.87 in Illinois (USA) on the 19th of October, McKeown bettered the world standard only to then clock 1:57.33 at the final leg of the series in Toronto (Canada) six days later.

For open water swimmer Johnson, an Olympic silver medallist in Paris, her performances in Singapore’s soupy Sentosa waters jettisoned potential to deliver performance.

In a remarkable feat, Johnson claimed two world titles in the space of 36-hours. Her maiden world title in the women’s 10km was followed by gold in the 5km. She then added a bronze in the 3km knockout sprint. Johnson’s efforts headlined the Dolphins most successful open water campaign.

The Lion City was also a happy hunting ground for Simpson: the 18-year-old making his Worlds debut and claiming a medal in all five of his events including a world record and three Oceania records.

For the Dolphins, Simpson claimed the biggest medal haul at the 2025 World Para Championships with three golds, one silver and a bronze.

Simpson was also part of the world record breaking mixed 4x100m freestyle 34pt relay team alongside Alexa Leary, Rowan Crothers and Chloe Osborn.

And what big 12 months from Pallister.

Before Pallister sensationally broke Katie Ledecky’s 800m freestyle world record during the 2025 World Cup Series in October, she laid down the foundation for success at the 2024 World Short Course Championships in Budapest last December.

Pallister was awarded the 2025 Short Course Program Swimmer of the Year, highlighted by her 800m freestyle gold in Budapest. She also claimed two silvers in the 400m freestyle and women’s 4x100m freestyle relay, and bronze in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay.

And then in Singapore, Pallister went toe-to-toe with GOAT Ledecky in an epic 800m showdown to win silver followed by a bronze in the 1500m.

Swimming Australia CEO Rob Woodhouse congratulated the star quartet on their incredible achievements.

“We are incredibly proud of Kaylee, Moesha, Callum and Lani – they’re all incredible athletes, fierce competitors and fabulous ambassadors for Australia and for our sport,” he said.

“Our Dolphins continue to set a high standard, and it’s been an incredible year of success with 16 world records, 11 Commonwealth records and 25 Oceania records across the able-bodied and para programs.

“Their achievements inspire us all, particularly the next generation of potential Dolphins.  Today is a fitting celebration of what our athletes – and high performance programs – have achieved.  We’re already looking forward to the next 12 months, which includes the Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacific Championships.”

The 2025 Awards also celebrated four Hall of Fame inductees, recognising the achievements of the late Sir Frank Beaurepaire (Dolphin #3), Australia’s most successful Paralympian Matthew Cowdrey (Dolphin #P224) and Australia’s first backstroke Olympic gold medallist, David Theile (Dolphin #103) and Michelle Ford-Eriksson (Dolphin #254).

• Beaurepaire was recognised as the greatest swimmer across several eras in the early 1920s, winning a total of six Olympic medals, three silver and three bronze, across three Olympics (1908, 1929, 1924). In all he set 15 world records and won 34 Australian titles.
• Backstroker Theile AO became the first swimmer other than a freestyler to win gold medals in two successive Olympics since World War II, winning back-to-back 100m backstroke gold medals in the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games.
• At 13, Ford-Eriksson MBE earned a spot on the 1976 Olympic team, the second youngest Australian to do so.  Just one year later, Michelle set her first world record in the 800m free. She then went on to win gold in Moscow 1980 in the 800m free and a bronze in the 200m fly.
• Cowdrey OAM clinched his first Paralympic gold medal at just 15 during the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games, launching his decade-long domination. In addition to his 23 Paralympic medals (13 gold, 7 silver, 3 bronze), he won 21 medals at three World Championships.

In other awards:
> The AIS Discovery of the Year was awarded to Harrison “I’ve got a lane, I’ve got a chance” Turner who, from lane eight, broke Nick D’Arcy’s 200m butterfly Australian record which has stood since 2009 and claimed bronze in his first world championship final.

>Michael Sage from USC Spartans won the Olympic Program Coach of the Year Award while 2012 Olympian Chris Wright won the Paralympic Program Coach of the Year and Ian Mills was awarded Open Water Coach of the Year.

> Flipper Athlete of the Year Paralympic Program went to Declan Budd, who made his Dolphins debut at the World Para Championships, just weeks after graduating high school. Budd qualified for finals in all three of his events in Singapore.

> Flipper Athlete of the Year Olympic Program went to Ainsley Trotter, a 50m backstroke gold medallist from the 2025 World Junior Championships while Luke Higgs, from Warringah Swim Club, won Flipper Athlete of the Year for the Open Water program.

Swimmers of the Year:
Olympic Program Swimmer of the Year – Kaylee McKeown OAM
Open Water Program Swimmer of the Year – Moesha Johnson
Paralympic Program Swimmer of the Year – Callum Simpson OAM
Short Course Program Swimmer of the Year – Lani Pallister OAM

Coaches of the Year:
National Age Coach of the Year – Chris Urquhart
Youth Coach of the Year – Chris Mooney
Open Water Program Coach of the Year – Ian Mills
Paralympic Program Coach of the Year – Chris Wright
Olympic Program Coach of the Year – Michael Sage

AIS Discovery of the Year – Harrison Turner
Roger Smith Technical Official of the Year – Sarah Emery
Local Legend of the Year – Joshua Hofer OAM
Pho3nix Foundation JX Swimmer of the Year – Ruby Eden
Club of the Year – Guildford and Kalamunda Districts Swimming Club

Flipper Athletes of the Year:
Flipper Athlete of the Year Olympic Program – Ainsley Trotter
Flipper Athlete of the Year Open Water Program – Luke Higgs
Flipper Athlete of the Year Paralympic Program- Declan Budd

2025 Swimming Australia Hall of Fame Inductees: 

1. David Theile AO
2. Michelle Ford-Eriksson MBE
3. Sir Frank Beaurepaire
4. Matthew Cowdrey OAM