Is the Australian Men’s 800 Freestyle Relay a Contender for Gold Medals in 2026?
The 2026 Australian Trials saw a very exciting final in the men’s 200 freestyle. Sam Short wound up taking the gold in a time of 1:45.16, with Kai Taylor not far behind at 1:45.30. The top five in the race were all under 1:46, showing that the Australian men will have a strong 800 free relay this summer.
The Dolphins will have two opportunities to win gold this summer, at the Commonwealth Games and the Pan Pacific Championships. In both meets, they will be the favorites for gold. After finishing third at the 2025 World Championships in this relay, the Australians will be hungrier than ever to get on the top step of the podium.
Commonwealth Games
The last time the Australian men lost the 800 free relay at the Commonwealth Games was 2006, when they placed third. Since then, they have not lost this relay and have usually won it in dominant fashion. After these performances at trials, this year should be no different. With the United Kingdom splitting up at the Commonwealth Games, the Australians will not have to worry about one of the most dominant 800 relay teams in history.
England looks to be the biggest threat. Two members of the Olympic champion British team, James Guy and Tom Dean, will lead the way. Dean, who did not compete at the British Trials due to a shoulder injury, can and should get selected to the team since the selectors have the discretion to pick swimmers who could not compete at trials due to certain circumstances. Gabriel Sheppard and Max Litchfield are the two most likely candidates to finish off this relay, as they finished fifth and eighth, respectively, at the British selection meet. Duncan Scott, the longest-tenured member of the British group, will be racing for Scotland at the Commonwealth Games.
With the three times from British trials plus Dean’s best, the England team should be around the 7:03 mark. This is using times where all swimmers are going from a flat start, not a takeover, but it is probably unlikely that Dean will be in top form at the Game following his shoulder injury. The Australian times from trials add up to 7:01.9; with takeovers, they should be around the 7:00.5 mark, putting them a fair amount ahead of England. Scotland will most likely round out the top three but should not pose a threat to Australia.
Pan Pacs
This will be the toughest task for Australia as they will have to face off against the United States. The American team finished fourth at the 2025 World Championships, just behind Australia. They could have the same team of Henry McFadden, Gabriel Jett, Luke Hobson and Rex Maurer again at Pan Pacs, with Carson Foster another possibility for the team. Many members of the American team fell sick at Worlds and struggled in this relay, particularly Jett. At full health, this U.S. team will be tough for Australia to fend off.
The Americans have a game breaker, which Australia lacks, in Hobson. The silver medalist at last year’s World Championships, Hobson should be the fastest split in the field and will hover around the 1:42-1:43 mark. Australia’s best will be around 1:44-1:45. Although their depth on par with the Americans, the star power is not. Even though Short is now on the relay, it still may take some time before he gets comfortable enough in the event to put up world-class times.
There should be no other competition for these two countries in the race for first, but South Korea is the likely third-place candidate after finishing fifth at the 2025 World Championships. Like the U.S., South Korea has their own game breaker in Hwang Sun-woo, who has a best time of 1:44.42 and a relay split best of 1:43.76. Hwang cannot win the relay for South Korea on his own, but he could definitely propel them to a medal.
Rest of the World
With the results from the Australian Trials, the Australians have set themselves up with some of the best depth in the 200 free. The hardest part for them to be able to compete with the UK and China in the 800 free relay is the ability to develop a star. The hope should be Short, already a star in the 400 and up. If Short can develop more speed for the 200, then Australia will be in an even better position come 2028.