Swimmers' Six Pack: Day 8 Age Championships

Witness the next generation of Dolphins compete at the 2025 Australian Age Championships.

⏱️ Heats from 9am | Finals from 6pm 👀

Can’t make it to Brisbane Aquatic Centre for the event? Don’t stress, you can watch all the action live and free, exclusively on 9NOW.

SWIMMERS’ SIX PACK

Ava Rollason | Cruiz

Cruiz control for Ava, the daughter of Olympic gold medal coach Shannon, who has already claimed a bronze in the 200m IM and silver in 100m back. The 17-year-old still has the 50m breast and 200m back left on her program.

Rafaela Kopellou | SOPAC, NSW

Coached by Adam Kable, who was on deck for the Dolphins in Paris, Rafaela Kopellou is back fresh from a training camp in Japan. She won silver in the 17 years’ 400m free, silver in the 200 IM and bronze in 200m free. Inspired by Dolphin legend Emma McKeon, the NSW swimmer is both a freestyler and butterflier and last night won silver in the 200m fly.

Charlotte Lim | Carlile, NSW

An impressive all rounder, Charlotte Lim has picked up a haul of medals in Brisbane. Her glittering efforts include the girls’ 13-years 200m backstroke when Lim surged in front of the field to win the national title by more than three and a half seconds. The Carlile swimmer also claimed gold in the 100m backstroke and silver medals across the 50 and 100m free, 50m back and 400 IM events. She is a top pick for the girls’ 13-years 200m breaststroke.

Sam Higgs | Warringah, NSW

Warringah’s Sam Higgs (pictured) is at the top of his game producing two gold-winning PBs already this meet. In the boys’ 18-years 200m IM, Higgs’ time of 2:01.49 marked his fourth consecutive gold in his age group. He was under the qualifying time for what could be his third junior Australian swim team in Romania for the 2025 World Junior Championships. The fast and furious medley swimmer represented Australia at the 2024 Junior Pan Pacific Championships and 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinbago. Higgs also smashed out a PB in the 200m breaststroke heats and again in the final to win gold. Still to come for him is the 400 IM and 200 backstroke both of which he respectively won gold and bronze for at 2024 Nationals.

Ben Cotroneo | Kincoppal Rose Bay, NSW

Coached by Sydney 2000 Olympian Hamid Mobarrez, Ben Cotroneo smashed out a couple of PB’s to bring home a relay gold and individual silver. The Sydney-based swimmer produced a 22.70 final leg to drive the Blues to gold in the boys’ 16-18 4x50m relay for NSW. He also won silver in the boys’ 17-years 100m freestyle, cracking the 50 second barrier to achieve a PB of 49.87 and meet qualifying time. For Cotroneo, the 2025 World Junior Championships in Romania would be his first junior Australian team. He is a top five contester in the boys’ 17-years 50m freestyle sprint today.

Bayleigh Young | Darwin Swimming Club, NT

One of 11 swimmers from the Northern Territory competing at this meet, the butterfly specialist has made finals for the past two years. Today he will line up in the 17 years’ 200m fly – his favourite event. Coached by Tim Few from Darwin Swimming Club, the teenager is juggling Year 12 with a trade apprenticeship and this year is focusing just on the butterfly. In February, qualified for the 50m and 200m butterfly events for the upcoming World Championship Trials where he swim against the Open men.

2025 Australian Age Championships
📆 10-18th April 2024
📍 Brisbane Aquatic Centre, event tickets available at Ticketek
⏱️ Heats from 9am | Finals from 6pm on 9Now