Trials Night 5: Sam Short signs off in a big way

THE Big Short.

Sam Short (pictured) signed off on a monstrous five days of racing at the Australian Swimming Trials by giving the world record an early scare in the men’s 1500m before touching in 14:42.09.

It’s been the theme all week for Short to go out fast and in doing so tonight, Short dragged St Peters teammates Matt Galea (14:50.22) and Ben Goedemans (14:50.67) – watched by an animated Dean Boxall – under the qualifying mark and on to the Australian swim team.

The win by 22-year-old Short saw him walk out of Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre as the first to win the 200m-400m-800m and 1500m since Grant Hackett in 2005.

When asked which is the event he would most likely to set a world record in, Short said: “The 400m. I’ve been really training my bum off for that. I didn’t expect to be out as fast as I did.”

“I’ve been training to be out in that 1.48 and I turned in 1.47.3 and so I knew my 200m was going to be great after that. I know I have two more really good opportunities this year. I think I have a really good shot.

“And to have Matt and Ben there with me … I think we can sweep the pool in Glasgow.”

On the penultimate night of racing, Mollie O’Callaghan opened proceedings by powering home to claim the 100m freestyle final.

O’Callaghan came into Friday night’s final as the second-fastest qualifier, and despite turning third at the halfway mark finished strong to touch the wall in a time of 52.33.

And while the result was the third-fastest time in the world this year, the 22-year-old hadn’t even taken her swim cap off before confessing a sub 52 was her immediate goal.

“I think no matter what I race, I’m always trying to figure it out and trying to get in the best shape and learning for LA. I know two girls have gone 51 (seconds) and it’s so impressive,” she said.

“It’s such a big thing to break mentally. It’s a big mental barrier for me to break the 52 and that’s something I need to work on … so to see those two (overseas) girls do 51 is just incredible and so inspiring for me, and it’s nice to see the women’s 100m freestyle evolve.”

The excellence of Australia’s 100m stocks have been vividly on display in relays over the past decade and tonight’s final featured three of four that won gold in the women’s 4x100m free relay in Paris – Harris, O’Callaghan and Shayna Jack.

Harris, 24, qualified to represent Australia in the 100m freestyle individually on the senior international stage for the first time with her runner-up finish in a time of 52.63, just shy of her personal best (52.56).

The 2025 world champion in the 50m free, still has the one lap dash on tomorrow as does third-placed finisher Jack, who broke 53 seconds for the first time since 2024, clocking 52.96 – her quickest since the 2024 Olympics.

Last year, Jack went 54.03 to miss the out on a World Championship roster spot.

Twelve months later, her swim locks her in for relay duties at the Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacs, and since she was well under qualifying time of 53.51, she’ll will most likely be able to bank an individual race as well.

Jack 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 a senior team with her brother Jamie … today her bucket list item was finally ticked.

In other events:
> Despite being an Olympic champion and current Australian record holder, Zac Stubblety-Cook was tested for a ticket to Glasgow by St Peters Westerns Bailey Lello in the 200m breaststroke final.

“There were certainly some nerves but tonight I had a job to do and I got it done,” Stubblety-Cook said.

Lello led right from the blocks but with less than 50 metres to go could not hold off a charging Stubblety-Cook determined to defend his Commonwealth Games crown.

Stubblety-Cook touched in at 2:08.92, just ahead of Lello (2:09.84) who missed qualifying for what would have been his first senior Dolphins team by half a second. Josh Yong finished third (2:10.31).

> A resurgent Keira Stephens has made her first Dolphins team since the Paris Paralympics. Stephens dove in for the 50m breaststroke multi-class final tonight and whilst it’s not an event offered for her SB9 classification at the Para Pan Pacific Championships, she stamped her return to the world stage earlier this week in the 100m breaststroke.

> Cheered on by friends and family, SOPAC’s Se-Bom Lee posted a personal best of 1:56.75 to win the 200m backstroke but touched just outside of the qualifying time. Josh Edward-Smith (1:57.50) and Stuart Swinburn (1:57.54) finished second and third, respectively.

> Ben Hance ditched the racing suit for a pair of budgies in his 100m backstroke final and still the S14 men’s world record holder dominated and doubled down on his selection for Para Pan Pacific Championships. High school senior Liam Togher, S9, also punched his ticket to California tonight in the event