Six Pack Preview: Day 3 Aus Age Champs

TO RECAP: FOUR national records have already fallen – including 16-year-old Lincoln Wearing (Chandler) rewriting the distance books last night in the 800m free with a 7:56.04.

Today, The Apprentice Josh Conias (pictured) – Cam McEvoy‘s training partner – dives in for the 50m freestyle and already crowned champions Koa Stotz and Olivia Galea look to add more national titles to their name under Gold Coast lights.

Up for grabs is selection for the Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Vancouver this August but long term, the search is on for the next wave to carry the Dolphins to the LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032.

Heats from 9am | Finals from 6pm local time

Swimmers’ Six Pack

Koa Stotz | Somerset GC, QLD – 14-15yr Boys’ 50m Breaststroke
A sprint freestyler and breaststroker from the Gold Coast, Stotz went viral when he celebrated breaking his first national age record with his grandma at last year’s Australian Age Championships. Stotz is a favourite leading into today’s 50m breaststroke event. Stotz has already picked up 100m freestyle gold on opening night.

Heli Childs | PLC Sydney, NSW – 17-18y Girls’ 100m Freestyle
Childs will be looking to earn her place on the Australian Junior Dolphins team to compete at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships in August. Competed at World Junior Championships in Romania where the developing freestyler went from preparing for one heat swim to having seven hit outs.

Leny Grigor | Somerset GC, QLD – 15-16y Boys’ 400 IM
Gold Coast local Grigor is the defending 400 IM champion in his age group. In December, he set a national age record of 4:20.73 for the 15-year boys’ and now competing up an age group is eyeing off Mitch Larkin’s longstanding national age record. The Somerset swimmer will face heat from the Chandler twins Lincoln and Isaac Wearing.

Olivia Galea | Chandler, QLD – 15-16yr Girls’ 200 freestyle
Galea is one of the few who can successfully juggle an open water and pool program. Galea claimed gold in the 7.5km at 2026 Bunbury Open Water Nationals in January as well as gold in the 800m freestyle on opening night on the Gold Coast. Other top qualifiers under the 2minute:04 seconds include Darwin’s NT Sportsperson of the Year Macey Sheridan and New Zealand’s Alyssa Lawson.

Josh Conias | Somerville House, QLD – 17-18yr Boys’ 50 freestyle
Training partner to world-record holder Cam McEvoy, Conias is one to watch in today’s splash ‘n dash. Conias competed against the likes of Jamie Jack, Ben Armbruster and Flynn Southam in the men’s 50m freestyle A final at last week’s Australian Open. Ollie Moclair from Cranbrook, New South Wales will be tough to beat especially after he ripped a cracking 22.04 in December to set the national age record.

Mikayla Bird | Bond, QLD – 17-18 yr Girls’ 200 Butterfly
A champion butterflier, Bird represented Australia at the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games and claimed the 100m and 200m butterfly double. Last year at Age Nationals, the Bond swimmer swept up four golds and two silvers, including gold in today’s 200m fly for her age group.