Trials Day 5 Preview: Shayna's shot to join her brother on team

Shayna Jack (pictured), a Paris Olympic gold medallist in Australia’s all-conquering women’s 4x100m freestyle is also a two-Games veteran having made her debut and winning her first relay gold on the Gold Coast in 2018. A stalwart of the Australian Dolphin team, Shayna has never been on team with her brother Jamie … today is her first chance to address this.

Heats from 11am : Finals from 7.30pm

Day 5 Swimmers’ Six Pack Preview

Shayna Jack | St Peters Western, QLD – Women’s 100m Freestyle

A two-time Olympic and Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Shayna Jack has achieved almost everything in the pool but she still has unfinished business.

Jack has her sights set on joining an exclusive group of Dolphin sibling teammates, aiming to line up alongside her younger brother Jamie at this year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Her first shot at this is in the morning heats of the women’s 100m free but she is racing against Australia’s well-stocked 100m freestyle line up, headlined by 50m world champion Meg Harris and 200m world champion Mollie O’Callaghan.

Ben Hance | St Andrew’s, QLD – Men’s 100m Backstroke MC

Sunshine Coast’s Ben Hance broke his own 100m backstroke S14 world record at last year’s Trials before lowering it again at the World Para Swimming Championships in Singapore. The back-to-back Paralympic champion is now targeting selection for the Para Pan Pacific Championships as he builds towards his goal of becoming the first Australian to win four consecutive Paralympic golds in a single event.

Tara Kinder | Melbourne Vicentre, VIC – Women’s 200m Breaststroke

A talented breaststroker and individual medley racer, Tara Kinder stepped away from the sport for a couple of years before coming back stronger to make her senior debut at the 2024 World Short Course Championships. Kinder took out the women’s 200m breaststroke at the Australian Open in April, holding off rising teen star Sienna Toohey who claimed second.

Nick Sloman | Melbourne Vicentre, VIC – Men’s 1500m Freestyle

Nick Sloman has already punched his ticket to California to contest the 10km open water at Pan Pacific Championships and now turns his attention to the pool. But we do know this race is going to be fast with man-of-the-meet and defending Commonwealth Games champion Sam Short back in the water. Short boasts the second-fastest time ever by an Australian behind Dolphin great Grant Hackett.

Henry Allan | Bendigo East, VIC – Men’s 200m Backstroke

Allan has already claimed the men’s 100m backstroke in 53.52 in what was outside the qualifying time but put him under consideration for the relay. Today is his chance to make his selection a lock-in. Allan has been one of the standout backstroke performers in the national pathway over the past 12 months. His highlights include breaking Mitch Larkin’s 15-year-old national age record in the 17-year boys’ 200m backstroke at the Australian Age Championships. Allan then promptly broke it again, stopping the clock at 1:57.00 to also break the all-comers record set in 2000 by 5x Olympic gold medallist Aaron Peirsol (USA). But Allan has come of age at this meet.

Victoria Belando Nicholson | University of Queensland, QLD – Women’s 100m Backstroke MC

With her sights set on competing at the LA 2028 Paralympics, this 18-year-old fast-tracked her Dolphins dream after a dominant performance at the 2026 Australian MC Age Championships, which included three gold medals won in a single night. Belando Nicholson was one of seven para rookies named for the 2026 Commonwealth Games team and she will contest the women’s 100m freestyle and 100m backstroke S9 events.