The 2026 Australian Swimming Trials Day 3 Finals Live Recap: A Star-Studded Lineup
The third night of finals at the 2026 Australian Swimming Trials promises to be an exciting one, with a star-studded lineup set to compete, including two reigning world champions. The women's 200 freestyle is the highlight, featuring Mollie O'Callaghan, the reigning Olympic and world champion, who will be looking to challenge Ariarne Titmus' world record of 1:52.23. O'Callaghan, who previously held the world record at 1:52.85, saw Titmus take down her mark at the 2024 Australian Olympic Trials in a time of 1:52.23, while O'Callaghan produced the second-fastest performance ever in 1:52.48 in the same heat. So far this year, O'Callaghan has gone 1:53.52 in March and 1:53.69 in April, faster than she was throughout the entirety of 2025, which is a positive sign heading into tonight.
The women's 50 breaststroke will be headlined by 17-year-old Sienna Toohey, who won the 100 breast last night in a new Aussie Age Record and her first time under the 1:06 barrier. The men's 50 freestyle will feature world record holder and reigning Olympic and world champion Cameron McEvoy, who took down the super-suited world record of 20.88 at the China Open in March. McEvoy may be looking to respond to Russia's Egor Kornev, who clocked 21.06 at the Russian Swimming Championships on Tuesday.
The session will then see three male swimmers riding the hot hand head up the last three able-bodied events of the night, with Harrison Turner in the 200 fly, Sam Williamson in the 50 breast, and Sam Short in the 800 free. Turner, the 2025 World Championship bronze medalist in the 200 fly, set a pair of best times en route to 3rd-place finishes in the 200 free and 100 fly on Tuesday, giving him some momentum entering his best event. Williamson, coming off a knee injury that kept him out of action last year, won the 100 breast on Monday in a time of 59.07, which is a positive sign heading into the 50, which has historically been his better event.
The session will conclude with the fastest seeded heat of the 800 free, where Short will be the big favorite to make it three-for-three in terms of both victories and personal bests in Sydney after winning the 400 free on Monday and the 200 free on Tuesday. South Korean Kim Woomin posted the fastest time out of the morning heats in 7:53.42, while Miami's Tomo Shadforth was the top Australian in 8:02.68.
In This Story
- Ariarne Titmus
- Cameron McEvoy
- Lani Pallister
- Mollie O'Callaghan
- Sam Short
About James Sutherland
James Sutherland is a sports journalist with a background in economics and sports journalism. He swam at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, specializing in the 200 free, back, and IM. He finished his collegiate swimming career in 2018 and graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics. In 2019, he completed his graduate degree in sports journalism.
