By Sean Griffin on SwimSwam
2025 AUSTRALIAN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Monday, April 21st – Thursday, April 24th Prelims at 10am local (8pm ET night before)/Finals at 6pm local (4am ET) Brisbane Aquatic Centre, Queensland, Australia LCM (50m) Meet Central SwimSwam Preview Initial Entries Start List Live Results Livestream Day 1 Prelims Recap | Day 1 Finals Recap Day 2 Prelims Recap | Day 2 Finals Recap Day 3 Prelims Recap | Day 3 Finals RecapThe third finals session of the 2025 Australian Swimming Championships unfolded in Brisbane. Didn’t catch the action live? No worries — if you weren’t able to tune in, we’ve got you covered with full race videos, courtesy of the “Australian Dolphins Swim Team” on YouTube.
Tonight’s lineup featured the men’s 200 IM, women’s 200 breaststroke, men’s 50 freestyle, women’s 50 backstroke, men’s 100 butterfly, women’s 400 freestyle, men’s 100 backstroke, women’s 50 butterfly, and men’s 800 freestyle.
As a reminder, this is not the Australian selection meet for the 2025 World Championships. Most swimmers are using this competition as a tune-up for the World Championship Trials, which are set for June 9–14 in Adelaide.
MEN’S 200 IM – FINAL
World Record: 1:54.00, Ryan Lochte (2011) Australian Record: 1:55.72, Mitch Larkin (2019) Commonwealth Record: 1:55.28, Duncan Scott (2021)GOLD – Lewis Clareburt, 1:59.05 SILVER – William Petric, 1:59.40 BRONZE – David Schlicht, 2:00.43
New Zealand’s Lewis Clareburt was victorious in the men’s 200 IM, hitting the wall with a time of 1:59.05 to become one of just two swimmers to dip under the 2-minute barrier. The 2024 World Champion in the 400 IM was slightly off his 1:58.73 mark from this same meet last year, but he upgraded his medal color from silver to gold.
20-year-old William Petric of St. Peters, the defending champion, posted a silver medal-worthy 1:59.40—just shy of both his 2024 winning time of 1:58.43 and his personal best of 1:57.54 from last year’s Olympic Trials. That lifetime best slotted him fourth on the all-time Australian rankings, behind only Mitch Larkin (1:55.72, 2019), Leith Brodie (1:56.69, 2009), and Tommy Neill (1:57.41, 2023).
Clareburt’s splits tonight were 25.54, 30.36, 35.01, and 28.14, while Petric put up 25.72, 30.61, 34.25, and 28.82. Petric held a slight edge at the 150, leading Clareburt by 0.33 after a strong breast leg. However, Clareburt surged on free with a 28.14 to Petric’s 28.82, overtaking him down the stretch to secure the win.
25-year-old David Schlicht of MLC Aquatics, a former Arizona State Sun Devils swimmer who graduated in 2024, stopped the clock at 2:00.43 for 3rd place. He narrowly missed his fastest-ever time of 2:00.13.
*Men’s 200 IM starts at 10:15*
WOMEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL
World Record: 2:17.55, Evgeniia Chikunova (2023) Australian Record: 2:20.54, Leisel Jones (2006) Commonwealth Record: 2:18.95, Tatjana Schoenmaker (2021)GOLD – Tara Kinder, 2:24.70 SILVER – Ella Ramsay, 2:25.34 BRONZE – Sienna Harben, 2:29.61
For the third night in a row, Tara Kinder and Ella Ramsay went head-to-head. Coming into the race, they were tied 2-1, with Ramsay capturing the 100 breast and 200 IM titles, while Kinder walked away victorious in the 400 IM.
Tonight, Kinder evened the score with her winning time of 2:24.70 in the 200 breast, while Ramsay finished as runner-up in 2:25.34. Kinder trailed after the first 50 but took the lead soon after the second pullout and never relinquished it. Both swimmers were shy of their career bests, with Kinder’s fastest-ever time being 2:23.84 and Ramsay’s standing at 2:22.87.
Speaking about the race, Kinder said, “Yeah, it felt really good. At this point in the season, two months out from trials, I’ll take a second over the PB I did a couple weeks ago.”
Kinder added, reflecting on her best time of 2:23.84 last month, “I think at New South Wales states the other month, breaking that 2:24 barrier was really crucial for me. Just being able to consistently produce a time like that at this point is really, really satisfying.”
When asked about the string of tattoos on her arm, she explained, “There’s not really much of an explanation. Some of them are meaningful, some of them are just decorations, but it’s something I found a little bit of passion for. And, yeah, I’m actually trying to kick off an apprenticeship as a tattoo artist myself now.”
Bond’s Sienna Harben earned her third breaststroke medal of the meet, finishing with a time of 2:29.61—just off her prelim time of 2:29.29 and her personal best of 2:27.71.
*Women’s 200 Breaststroke starts at 25:20*
MEN’S 50 FREESTYLE – FINAL
World Record – 20.91, Cesar Cielo (2009) Australian Record – 21.06, Cameron McEvoy (2023) Commonwealth Record – 21.06, Cameron McEvoy (2023)GOLD – Cameron McEvoy, 21.48 SILVER – Jamie Jack, 21.95 BRONZE – Thomas Nowakowski, 22.07
After logging a swift 21.67 to claim the top seed this morning, 30-year-old Cameron McEvoy dominated the men’s 50 free tonight, touching the wall with a time of 21.48. The Tim Lane-trained sprinter now ranks 2nd in the world standings, trailing only Russia’s Egor Kornev (21.43).
Despite being back to full-time training for only three weeks, McEvoy is well ahead of the 21.82 he swam at this point last year. He then clocked 21.25 to win gold in the Olympic final, marking a career resurgence in Paris and delivering long-awaited redemption after falling short as the 100 free favorite in 2016.
McEvoy reflected on his race, saying, “It’s my best in-season swim since coming back. It was 21.8 before, so that shreds it.” He also spoke about his recent wedding and growing family: “Yeah, it was beautiful. She’s here in the stands too. We’re also 27 weeks along with the baby boy, so this is the first competition he’s here for as well, which is doubly special. Probably got a max of 12 weeks to go, so very exciting. It’s really nice to do what I did last year and now move ahead as a dad and start a new chapter.”
St. Peters’ 22-year-old Jamie Jack, who made headlines in December with a significant drop to 21.66, nabbed silver in 21.96. He is the brother of Olympian Shayna Jack, who helped Australia win gold in the women’s 4×100 free relay final in Paris, in addition to earning a second gold by swimming in the prelims of the 4×200 relay.
USC Spartan Thomas Nowakowski took 3rd in 22.07, while 2024 50 back World Champion Isaac Cooper was on the outside looking in at 4th.
21-year-old Cooper, who won the 50 back last night with a season-best 24.80, posted a time of 22.34. Trained by Ash Delaney, Cooper owns a career-best of 21.65 from the 2023 World Championships, where he finished 4th behind winner McEvoy.
*Men’s 50 Freestyle starts at 41:25*
WOMEN’S 50 BACKSTROKE – FINAL
World Record – 26.86, Kaylee McKeown (2023) Australian Record – 26.86, Kaylee McKeown (2023) Commonwealth Record – 26.86, Kaylee McKeown (2023)GOLD – Kaylee McKeown, 27.22 SILVER – Mollie O’Callaghan, 27.51 BRONZE – Amber George, 28.24
After throwing down the fastest time in the world this year in the 100 back last night, 23-year-old Kaylee McKeown backed it up tonight by completing a sweep of the sprint backstrokes. She touched the wall in 27.22, narrowly missing both her current world-leading time of 27.06 from last month and her 27.07 winning mark from last year.
The Griffith University swimmer’s lifetime best remains the world record of 26.86, which she set during the 2023 World Cup stop in Budapest.
Speaking on her time, McKeown said, “You know, we’re our own harshest critics. I’m not overly pleased with that, but like I said last night, it’s building blocks to LA.”
She added more about how she swam the race: “I mean, you can try to perfect it, but there’s always something you can work on. Even my 15 — it’s good, but there are always more improvements I can make. So yeah, all in all, I’m happy with it.”
When asked what she does outside the pool, she shared, “Back in December, Mollie O’Callaghan and I decided to take up surfing. You can ask her how she went with it, but I now have a scar on my back. Five stitches later — it’s not the sport for me.”
St. Peters’ O’Callaghan collected silver with a time of 27.51, matching the color of her medal from yesterday’s 100 back. Her personal best of 27.16 in this event was set at this same meet last year. O’Callaghan won the 100 free on night one in 53.12 — the 2nd-fastest time in the world so far this year.
New Zealand’s Amber George rounded out the top three with a time of 28.24, adding slightly to her 28.17 performance from prelims, a clocking that dipped under the World Aquatics ‘A’ qualifying time for this summer’s World Championships in Singapore.
*Women’s 50 Backstroke starts at 52:40*
MEN’S 100 BUTTERFLY – FINAL
World Record – 49.45, Caeleb Dressel (2021) Australian Record – 50.25, Matthew Temple (2023) Commonwealth Record – 50.25, Matthew Temple (2023)GOLD – Thomas Ceccon, 51.26 SILVER – Matthew Temple, 51.51 BRONZE – Harrison Turner, 52.30
Italian star Thomas Ceccon, who holds the world record in the 100 back and won that title in Paris, captured tonight’s 100 fly title with a new career best of 51.26. He eclipsed his previous fastest time of 51.38 from a regional meet in Verona in July 2022. Ceccon remains the 2nd-fastest Italian ever, behind only Piero Codia’s national record of 50.64 from 2018.
Ceccon is currently training with Dean Boxall at St. Peters. He is using this meet to qualify for the World Championships this summer, after receiving special permission to compete here instead of at last week’s Italian Nationals.
The time required to automatically qualify for Team Italy’s World Championship roster in this event was 51.29, so he narrowly dipped under the standard and had to post a best time to do so.
Ceccon said, “Pretty happy with the time tonight. Didn’t expect that.”
Australian record holder Matthew Temple, the defending champion, posted a time of 51.51 to easily clear the rest of the field for 2nd. The 25-year-old Marion swimmer split 23.97/27.54, compared to Ceccon’s 23.74/27.52, with the front half making all the difference in tonight’s battle.
Temple’s Australian record was set at the 2023 Tokyo Open, where he clocked 50.25, ranking as the 6th-quickest man in history at the time.
Temple talking about being in hard training at the moment: “Sort of ramped up the last three weeks, getting back in the water a bit more. It’s good to have a hit-out here, and yeah, I’m pretty happy with that. 100 freestyle tomorrow, bit of fun.”
21-year-old Harrison Turner scored bronze tonight with a near-best time of 52.30, while Chris Mooney-coached Jesse Coleman notched 52.31 for 4th, just 0.01 behind and well shy of his career-best time of 51.51.
*Men’s 100 Butterfly starts at 1:02:25*
WOMEN’S 400 FREESTYLE – FINAL
World Record – 3:55.38, Ariarne Titmus (2023) Australian Record – 3:55.38, Ariarne Titmus (2023) Commonwealth Record – 3:55.38, Ariarne Titmus (2023)GOLD – Lani Pallister, 4:02.34 SILVER – Erika Fairweather, 4:04.55 BRONZE – Jamie Perkins, 4:06.29
Olympic relay champion Lani Pallister was simply dominant in the women’s 400 free, winning by over two seconds with a time of 4:02.34. Her time tonight was just off her lifetime best of 4:01.75, set at this same meet one year ago.
Pallister was out very quick, hitting the 100 turn in 57.80 before reaching the 200 at 1:58.80. She split 2:03.54 on the back end of the race.
She recently made the move from Griffith University—where Michael Bohl departed at the end of last year and her mom remains an assistant coach—to join St. Peters Western under Dean Boxall.
Pallister’s training partner, Olympic finalist Jamie Perkins, checked in at 4:06.29 for 3rd. While she was well off her 4:03.30 PB from the Paris Olympic prelims, she was about 2.5 seconds swifter than the 4:08.55 she notched at this meet last year, showing good signs heading into the World Trials next month.
New Zealand’s Erika Fairweather, who won the 2024 World title, logged a time of 4:04.55 to finish 2nd. She owns a best time of 3:59.44, making her the only swimmer to have ever broken the elusive 4-minute barrier in this field—a goal Pallister stated in her post-race interview was a major focus for her this year.
Mollie O’Callaghan was back in the pool after her silver in the 50 back, recording a time of 4:10.63 for 4th. She owns a lifetime best of 4:07.21 from the New South Wales State Open Championships in 2023.
*Women’s 400 Freestyle starts at 1:14:15*
MEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE – FINAL
World Record – 51.60, Thomas Ceccon (2022) Australian Record – 52.11, Mitch Larkin (2015) Commonwealth Record – 52.11, Mitch Larkin (2015)GOLD – Enoch Robb, 54.85 SILVER –Bradley Woodward, 55.21 BRONZE – Joshua Edwards-Smith, 55.27
20-year-old Enoch Robb captured gold in the men’s 100 back with a time of 54.85, edging out veterans Bradley Woodward (55.21) and Joshua Edwards-Smith (55.27) in a tightly contested final. Robb, who owns a personal best of 54.14, said the underwater dolphin kicks on the turn took a lot out of him, and his goal had been to push the opening 50. He ultimately turned in 26.72 before powering home in 28.13.
Earlier this week, Robb, who trains under the guidance of Mel Marshall, clocked a career-best of 25.39 to finish 2nd in the 50 back and also claimed the top spot in the 200 back age final with a 1:58.37—just a tenth off his lifetime best and fast enough to have placed 3rd in the ‘A’ final.
While Robb continues to show steady progression each year, much of Australia’s long-term potential in the event may lie with 16-year-old phenom Henry Allan. The rising star lit up the recent Age Championships with a blistering 53.73—already faster than any swimmer in this field tonight.
*Men’s 100 Backstroke starts at 1:53:15*
WOMEN’S 50 BUTTERFLY — FINAL
World Record: 24.43, Sarah Sjostrom (2014) Australian Record: 25.31, Holly Barratt (2019) Commonwealth Record: 25.20, Fran Halsall (2014)GOLD – Rikako Ikee, 25.71 SILVER – Alexandria Perkins, 25.78 BRONZE – Lily Price & Vanessa Ouwehand, 26.24
Japanese record holder Rikako Ikee (25.71) edged out Aussie USC Spartan Alexandria Perkins (25.78) in the women’s 50 fly.
Ikee, who has a personal best of 25.11, made her Olympic debut as a 16-year-old at the 2016 Rio Games, where she finished 5th in the 100 fly.
After battling leukemia and undergoing intense treatments in 2019, Ikee made a remarkable recovery, gradually returning to the pool and the gym in late 2020. She went on to make the Japanese Olympic team for the postponed 2020 Tokyo Games, held in 2021.
Most recently, at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Ikee hit the wall 11th in the 100 fly and was a part of the 5th-place women’s 4×100 medley relay team.
Ikee said of her race tonight, “I know I have a really slow start, but I just focused on having a great start, a smooth swim, and a strong finish. The time isn’t good, but I’m very happy to win.”
Perkins commented on her long finish: “I know in a 50, you’ve got to get everything right and it happens, but I think I made the right decision. Hopefully, if I can nail that finish, it’ll be a bit quicker.”
On the addition of this event to the 2028 Olympics and whether it’s becoming more of a focus, Perkins added, “Yeah, definitely. But I mean, for me, the focus is still on the 100, but it gives me another opportunity, which is really exciting.”
Perkins has been on fire this week in Brisbane, having previously notched career bests in both the 50 (25.00) and 100 free (54.21). She will swim her signature 100 fly tomorrow, where she’ll renew her battle with Ikee.
Damien Jones-coached Lily Price of Rackley tied for bronze with New Zealand record holder Vanessa Ouwehand, both clocking a time of 26.24.
*Women’s 50 Butterfly starts at 2:06:35*
MEN’S 800 FREESTYLE – FINAL
World Record: 7:32.12, Zhang Lin (2009) Australian Record: 7:37.76, Sam Short (2023) Commonwealth Record: 7:37.76, Sam Short (2023)GOLD – Benjamin Goedemans, 7:52.52 SILVER – Matthew Galea, 8:00.88 BRONZE – Thomas Raymond, 8:02
The men’s 800 free saw 20-year-old Benjamin Goedemans claim victory, with the St. Peters Western representative clocking in at 7:52.52, improving on his previous lifetime best of 7:55.76.
Just yesterday, the freestyle specialist shattered his career best of 15:09.38 in the 1500 free by a massive 11.63 seconds, getting under 15 minutes with a time of 14:57.75 for gold. The night before, he logged a 3:47.03 in the 400 free, improving from his prior best of 3:48.66 to take silver behind teammate Elijah Winnington.
Sydney Olympic Park’s Matthew Galea reached the wall in 2nd in tonight’s 800 with a time of 8:00.88, after falling to 3rd in the 1500.
23-year-old Galea had a significant breakthrough in July 2023 when he traveled to compete at the TYR Pro Championships in the United States. There, he recorded his current best times in the 400 (3:47.54), 800 (7:50.25), and 1500 (14:57.19) free events. He won the 1500 at the Olympic Trials last June but failed to meet the required qualifying standard.
Noosa’s Thomas Raymond, who secured runner-up status in the 1500, settled for bronze tonight in 8:02.25, clipping 1.94 seconds off his entry time.
*Men’s 800 Freestyle starts at 2:29:10*
Read the full story on SwimSwam: WATCH: Cameron McEvoy’s 21.48 50 Free & Other Australian Open Day 3 Race Videos
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