Molly O’Callaghan, Kyle Chalmers hail depth, Sam Short exhibits class on night time one among Australian Open swimming

For Australia’s finest and brightest swimmers, the Australian Open competitors on the Gold Coast this week is a time to experiment. 

Australian swimmers do not come a lot brighter or higher than Molly O’Callaghan, who flew down the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre to say a cushty victory within the ladies’s 100m free on Monday night time.

The 22-year-old, five-time Olympic champion was the one girl to swim sub-53 seconds, cruising to a 52.66 forward of Meg Harris (53.36) and 19-year-old rising star Olivia Wunsch (53.58).

But for O’Callaghan, the time was not essential, extra a stepping stone for a busy 2026, the place the Dolphins will compete in Irvine, California on the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships from August 12-15 only a fortnight after the Glasgow Commonwealth Games from July 24-29.

“Coming off China [the China Open last month], it’s a bit of a learning curve,” O’Callghan instructed Channel Nine.

“A quick change round, but that’s practice for Commies [Commonwealth Games] into Pan Pacs. 

“So in the intervening time I’m simply making an attempt to discover ways to good it in-season.”

Shayna Jack was fourth (53.92) and Alex Perkins fifth (53.97) to underline the strength in depth of Australian women’s sprint freestyle swimming.

Australia won the 4x100m freestyle relay at the Paris Olympics by over a second and are the current world record holders.

“I feel all of us push one another on the finish of the day,” O’Callaghan mentioned. 

“When I enhance, another person watches that and it pushes them, so I feel we study off one another always and are pushing the boundaries. 

“Once one person improves, it’s a knock-on effect.”

In the lads’s 100m free, Kyle Chalmers powered down the ultimate 50 metres to win in 48.39 in a race the place the whole 10-man discipline swam below 50 seconds.

“I’m happy with that,” Chalmers mentioned, who beat 20-year-old Flynn Southam (48.80) and Kai Taylor (48.94) into the opposite podium locations.

“We’ve got some great depth coming through. I’ve had some individual success … it would be amazing to have some relay success with these guys.”

Lani Pallister was in elegant kind within the 800m freestyle, crushing a global discipline to win in (8:11.28) which included New Zealand’s first ever swimming world champion within the 400m and former world bronze medallist from 2024, Erika Fairweather.

Despite having nearly no real competitors — she gained the race by over 12 seconds from Brazils Maria Costa (8:23.98) and Fairweather (8:26.55) — the 23-year-old nonetheless clearly put a lot into the race, throwing up poolside earlier than her Channel Nine interview.

“That’s horrendous,” the affable Queenslander instructed Nine. 

“I feel like I’ve made a habit of throwing up post-race, which I’m sure Dean [Boxall] will be happy with because it showed I tried really hard. 

“I’m fairly pleased with that,” she added. 

“I used to be 8:19 in China two weeks in the past on the China Open in Shenzhen, after which dropping eight seconds coming right here is known as a good stepping stone going into Pan Pacs, Commies and Trials and that form of factor this 12 months.”

Pallister has moved to Brisbane to train under Boxall at St Peters Western this year and credits her new environment with her superb form.

“When I moved to Brisbane, I did not actually know what to anticipate, dwelling within the metropolis and being in a brand new squad,” she mentioned.

“But everybody at St Pete’s is simply so unimaginable, and transferring to Dean, being with Mick as nicely, has simply been probably the most unimaginable 12 months. 

“I think it’s really cool moving forward going into this Olympic cycle. And they’re helping me achieve all the dreams I ever wanted and more.”

Someone else hoping to go near a private finest within the longer distances is Sam Short, who powered his solution to gold within the 400m freestyle to heat up for the longer distances later within the meet.

The 22-year-old admitted that he thought he was doing one thing “crazy” when he noticed how large his lead was through the race.

It wasn’t loopy. But it was a marker to the remainder of the Commonwealth as Short laid down a dominant 3:42.53 to say a cushty victory.

“I honestly thought, with the gap I had, I thought I was just doing something crazy,” Short instructed Channel Nine.

“But yeah, no, it’s 3:42, got to be happy with that. I got off a plane a week ago from the States, so probably only just beat the jet lag. 

“I feel I’m in a great place to be sincere, I’m fairly eager for the 800 and 1,500.”

Short led from start to finish, establishing a lead of almost a second after 100 metres and only building from there.

Dolphins teammate Elijah Winnington came home in the silver medal spot, almost four seconds behind Short.

He just edged out New Zealand’s two-time Commonwealth Games champion Lewis Clareburt by half-a-second.

Short, who won silver in the event at the 2022 Commonwealth Games behind Winnington and has two medals — a gold and a silver — at world championship level in this event so was certainly expecting to do well.

The Brisbane swimmer has been training at altitude in the USA and, by focusing on longer-distance swimming and even dipping his toes into ocean swimming, is expecting to do just as well later in the week too.

“I really feel so match,” Short said, seemingly surprised by his form.

“I imply, this morning [in the heats] was the simplest 3:48 I’ve ever accomplished.

“I just couldn’t really sit still today, I was so excited to get in here and give it a crack. 

“I really feel so match now, simply making an attempt to do some tempo work and get quick.”

While Short was thrilled with his form, Kaylee McKeown expressed some disappointment as she breezed home to win the 200m backstroke in 2:05.66.

“Honestly, I’d have favored a bit of bit sooner,” McKeown mentioned.

“I really feel like I’ve put in an excellent block of coaching so I’m a bit of bit upset with the end result, however I feel the method is there.”

Elsewhere, in the 200m breaststroke, Bailey Lello held on to beat out a fast-finishing Tokyo Olympic champion and silver medallist in Paris, Zac Stubblety-Cook.

Lello, another swimmer from the St Peters Western stable coached by Boxall, credited the super coach with trialling “just a few issues” heading into the occasion that sparked his gold medal swim.

In the women’s 50m butterfly, world championships silver medallist Alex Perkins held off a trio of international visitors to finish in 25.62, just three-tenths of a second outside the Australian record she jointly holds with Holly Barrett.

“The 50’s exhausting to get proper, only one little factor and your time is a bit slower,” she told Channel Nine.

Russia-born, Gold Coast-based Mark Nikolaev claimed victory in the 50m backstroke with a time of 25.20, edging out Ben Hance and Isaac Cooper.

In the women’s 100m breaststroke, 17-year-old Sienna Toohey beat out Ella Ramsay and Tara Kinder into second and third respectively.

Kinder and Ramsay were then beaten by Jenna Forrester — who finished third in the 200m backstroke earlier in the evening — in the 400m individual medley.

Harrison Turner beat out club-mate Alex Quach by a second-and-a-half within the males’s 200m butterfly.