Pool bolter gate crashes World Cup Open Water Team as Junior Dolphins Team named for World Champs

POOL bolter Tiana Kritzinger (pictured) has broken through to claim her spot in a crack 10-member team to contest the 2026 World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup in Spain next month.

Kritzinger, who made her Dolphins debut two years ago swimming the 1500m at the World Short Course Championships in Budapest, stunned with a bronze in the women’s 10km event at the Australian Open Water Championships in Bunbury last week.

World champion Moesha Johnson won gold with Tayla Martin claiming silver, and the pair will join Kritzinger alongside the most experienced Dolphin of them all Chelsea Douyere (nee Gubecka) in Ibiza.

The world-class Australian continent will also include man-of-the-moment Kyle Lee, fresh off three national titles, fellow Dolphins Nick Sloman, Thomas Raymond and Bailey Armstrong.

Euan Linley (Knox Pymble) and Sienna Deurloo (Toowoomba Grammar) also secured Swimming Australia funding to attend the World Cup with strong performances in Western Australia.

Experienced coach Fernando Possenti, who will spearhead the next four-year open water cycle towards the 2028 LA Olympic Games for the Dolphins, said the 10 senior members were selected for funding following an outstanding national campaign that also foreshadowed Generation Next.

For Gen Next, the national championships presented a chance to put themselves in front of selectors for the Junior World Championships in Argentina and Possenti was “excited” by what he saw.

“Congratulations to all our junior athletes selected … I am so excited by this 10-member team and what they can do over the next four years. We have seen the senior team grow internationally so much in the past 18 months,” Possenti said.

“And now we have the next tier of athletes coming through and I know that these swimmers, and our program, can challenge the best swimmers in the world.”

The world’s top teenagers will compete at the World Aquatics Junior Open Water Swimming Championships from September 3-6 in Santa Fe, Argentina.

Nine events will take place at the freshwater lake Lago Sur and events include:
> 14-15 years 5km
> 16-17 years 7.5km
> 18-19 years 10km
> 3km sprint knockout for each gender
> 4×1500m mixed relay.

 Open Water World Cup Funded Athletes

2026 Junior Open Water World Championships Team