Trials Day 2 Preview: A super pod of Dolphins feature

McKeown. Cooper. Pearse. Perkins. Toohey.

A super pod of Dolphins feature on Day 2 with Paralympic medallists Pearse and Beecroft letting fly, McKeown returning to the water and son-of-a-gun Kai Taylor following in his mum’s footsteps.

Heats from 11am AEST : Finals from 7.30pm AEST

SWIMMERS’ SIX PACK HEAT DAY 2

Alexandria Perkins | USC Spartans, QLD – Women’s 50m Butterfly
Alex Perkins (pictured) punched her ticket to the Commonwealth Games last night with a  win in the 100m fly and Australia’s premium flyer is sure to double down today.

The Sunshine Coast flyer has enjoyed a stellar 12 months – at the 2025 World Championships, she clocked a PB of 25.31 and equalled the Oceania and Australian record to win silver behind USA’s Gretchen Walsh in the 50m butterfly.

Col Pearse | Nunawading, VIC – Men’s 100m Butterfly MC
Already named on the team bound for Glasgow, S10 para athlete Pearse is on track to defend his 100m butterfly Commonwealth Games crown.

Hailing from a dairy farm in country Victoria, Pearse had his right foot amputated below the ankle after a lawn mower accident when he was two. It will be a tight battle for gold today with fellow Dolphin Alex Saffy also lining up on the blocks.

Iona Anderson | Highlanders, WA – Women’s 100m Backstroke
The former West Australian gymnast made her Dolphins debut at the 2024 Doha World Championships, winning two individual silvers and then added two relay medals – a silver and a bronze – at the Paris Olympics.

Of proud Scottish descent, Anderson is back in the water after recovering from a back injury and is chasing selection for Glasgow and the chance to race in front of her Scottish family. But it will be McKeown, returning from her win in the 50m back last night, that will set the pace.

Kai Taylor | St Peters Western, QLD – Men’s 200m Freestyle
Son-of-a-gun. Two-time Olympic medallist Kai Taylor – the son of golden girl Hayley Lewis – dives in today to chase his first Commonwealth Games team.

In 1991, 13 years before Taylor was born, his mum – Hayley – stormed home from lane eight to win 200m freestyle gold at the World Championships in Perth, becoming Australia’s youngest world champion swimmer.

Also lining up in today’s men’s 200m freestyle are fellow 2025 World Championships Dolphins Sam Short – desperate to make the 4x200m relay team – and quiet achiever Ed Sommerville.

Emily Beecroft | USC Spartans, QLD – Women’s 100m Butterfly MC
As a three-time Paralympian, Emily Beecroft is one of the most experienced Dolphins amongst the para swimmers named for Glasgow.

She won her first individual Paralympic medal in Paris in today’s event – claiming bronze in the S9 women’s 100m butterfly. Beecroft will compete in the S9 women’s 100m freestyle in Glasgow and is chasing one better than her 100m freestyle silver from the Birmingham 2022 Games.

Isaac Cooper | St Andrew’s, QLD – Men’s 100m Backstroke
Part of the Dolphins’ leadership team, Cooper is the fastest Australian over 50m – as he showed last night to claim gold in the one-lap event.

He is also ranked top five of Aussie men in the 100m backstroke but hot on his heels is 17-year-old Henry Allan from Bendigo. Allan recently erased Cooper’s 100m backstroke all-comers record at the 2026 Australian Age Championships and sits just 0.02 outside of Cooper’s best of 53.43, set at Tokyo Olympics.

And last night, Allan missed by just 0.06 on cementing Commonwealth Games selection, much to his chagrin. Beware the jilted swimmer.