enviornment Swim of the Week: Andre Labara Smashes Australian Age Record, Nears Phelps With 4:16 400 IM

Swim of the Week is dropped at you by arena, a SwimSwam associate.

Disclaimer: Swim of the Week isn’t meant to be a conclusive collection of one of the best total swim of the week, however reasonably one Featured Swim to be explored in deeper element. The Swim of the Week is a chance to take a better have a look at the context of one of many many quick swims this week, maybe a swim that slipped by way of the cracks as others grabbed the headlines, or a race we didn’t get to look at as intently within the flood of weekly meets.

Andre Labara was the youngest swimmer within the remaining of the boys’ 400 IM this week on the Junior Pan Pacific Championships, however that didn’t cease him from throwing down an outstanding efficiency and critically contending for a medal.

The 15-year-old Australian, who will flip 16 later this 12 months (he was listed as 16 within the meet outcomes because of the World Aquatics guidelines for World Junior Records), put up a time of 4:20.20 within the prelims of the 400 IM, decreasing his earlier finest time of 4:22.01 set en path to victory on the Australian Age Championships in April.

Additionally, Labara, who comes from the Waga Waga Swim Club in New South Wales, took down the Australian Age Record for 15-year-old boys of 4:20.73, set by Leny Grigor in 2024. Grigor was within the area however missed the ultimate because the third-fastest Aussie within the prelims in 4:26.53.

Then, within the remaining, Labara was way more aggressive over the opening 100 and carried that momentum into the remainder of the race, shattering his new finest time and nationwide age report by nicely over three seconds in a time of 4:16.88, incomes him 4th place total.

In the prelims, Labara had very related splits to his earlier finest time throughout the board outdoors of the second 50 of breaststroke, the place he gained nicely over a second with a fast 36.47 cut up.

In the ultimate, he made the most important distinction on the primary 50 of fly, going out greater than a second faster than the prelims in 27.69, although he was faster throughout all 4 100s within the night session.

Split Comparison

All-Time Australian Performers, 15-Year-Old Boys’ 400 IM (LCM)

1. Andre Labara, 4:16.88 – 2026
2. Leny Grigor, 4:20.73 – 2024
3. Mitch Larkin, 4:25.45 – 2009
4. Thomas Hauck, 4:25.57 – 2018
5. Jayden Hadler, 4:25.94 – 2009

In phrases of the all-time rankings, Labara was simply 1.68 seconds shy of the 4:15.20 mark set by Michael Phelps in 2001, which is believed to be the quickest efficiency ever from a 15-year-old.

Records are falling in Vancouver! 🔥🔥

On Day 2 of the Junior Pan Pacific Championships, Lilla Ribot-De-Bresac raced to an enormous PB of 1:07.17 to assert 🥇 within the ladies’ 100m breaststroke – setting a JPP report within the course of 👏

Then 15-year-old Andre Labara made his mark within the… pic.twitter.com/R7eamRK05v

— Swimming Australia (@SwimmingAUS) August 20, 2026

In addition to the 400 IM, Labara additionally swam the 200 free (1:51.91), 400 free (3:56.12) and 200 IM (2:04.47) in Vancouver, setting finest instances throughout the board whereas swimming out of the ‘B’ remaining.

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