Sam Short and Lani Pallister To Spearhead 24-strong Dolphins Team Named For World Short Course In Beijing
Dynamic Dolphins distance duo Sam Short and Lani Pallister will spearhead a 24-strong Australian team to this year’s World Short Course Championships in Beijing (December 1-6), the squad named in Sydney tonight.
The pair have already led Australia to successful Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacs campaigns this year and they were tonight named to the final major meet of 2026 when the world gathers in the 2008 Olympic city for the 18th edition of the Championships to be swum at the famous Water Cube.
The Australian team will be without freestyle “King” Kyle Chalmers, golden girls Mollie O’Callaghan, Kaylee McKeown and Meg Harris, breaststroke heavyweights Zac Stubblety-Cook and Sam Williamson, as well as Kai Taylor and Harrison Turner.
HAPPY CAMPERS: St Peters Western girls Lani Pallister and Jenna Forrester off to Beijing. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
THUMBS UP: Sam Short has had another stellar week in the pool in Sydney, topping it off with a world class pb in the 1500m. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)
But thank goodness for both Pallister, 24, and Short, 23, who will fly the flag again. Both completed their nonstop four days of the Australian Short Course meet and Selection Trials in spectacular fashion.
Pallister (who holds the world record at 7:54.00) clocked an impressive 8:01.66 to take out the 800m freestyle and Short went a personal best of 14:15.10 to keep the lap counters honest on the 60-lap journey in the 1500m, becoming the seventh-fastest all-time.
Pallister will head to Beijing with the busiest program after winning the 200, 400, 800 and 1500m freestyles – also finishing second in the 100m – and her sights set on a third 800 and a second 400 title while Short won the 400, 800 and 1500m and will be chasing his third triple, as he was unbeaten in Glasgow and Irvine.
Olympic and two-time world champion Cam McEvoy will also likely be in Beijing, courtesy of World Aquatics offering wildcards for any swimmer that wins a medal at the Silk Road World Cup tour. McEvoy ticked that box last night, winning the 50m freestyle gold medal in a new World Cup, Oceania and Australian record time of 20.22 during the first of three stops in Baku, Azerbaijan.
There was also another major shock on the night with the unavailability of 200m freestyle winner Ed Somerville (Brisbane Grammar), Swimming Australia saying: “Sommerville ruled himself ineligible for selection, preferring to concentrate on his training base in Brisbane with (Miami’s) Max Giuliani to fill the vacancy.”
And what about Russian-born US College-educated backstroker Mark Nikolaev, who is one of six debutants named on the team. It is a rarity to make your international debut at 27 after he qualified in the 100m backstroke at these Trials. Nikolaev represented Russia at the 2019 World University Games.
Given a lifeline by Australia, representing Bond and then Somerset under coach Ashley Callus, Nikolaev spent four years training and racing in Australia and his perseverance finally paid off. He joins fellow debutants 18-year-old Amelie Smith (Rocky City, QLD) and 19-year-old Marcus Da Silva (Cranbrook, NSW), along with 23-year-old backstroke Emily Jones (Hunter, NSW) and 25-year-olds, 200m freestyler Cameron Bladen (TiigerSharks, VIC) and barnstorming butterflyer Alex Quach (Nudgee College, QLD).
ROCKY ROOKIE: Rockhampton 18-year-old Amelie Smith one of six rookie on the Dolphins team for Beijing. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)
Some outstanding swims on the final night saw:
Former Sydney swimmer Quach (now Nudgee College, QLD under coach Shaun Crow) led from start to finish to nudge Olympian Chris Wright’s Australian record to win the 200m butterfly in 1:51.65 – just half-a-second outside Wright’s 2009 supersuit mark – to gatecrash his way onto the team on the last night.
QUACHED: Yes! Alex Quach can’t hide his emotions to make his first Dolphins team with a barnstorming butterfly breakthrough. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
WA’s number one swimmer Iona Anderson (Highlanders, WA) added the 100 IM to her treble in the 50, 100 and 200m backstroke for a fourth title to cement her place on the team.
Victorian all-rounder Tara Kinder (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) added the 200m breaststroke in 2:18.89 – just outside her own personal best but under the qualifying time – her second qualifier after she won the 200 IM in 2:05.48. Rockhampton’s 18-year-old 400 IMer Amelie Smith (Rocky City, QLD) clocked an impressive pb of 2:21.26 for second, with another 18-year-old Julia Eve Spedding (Griffith, QLD) third in 2:22.93. Smith was named on her first Australian team under coach Shane Kingston.
KINDER COOL: Tara Kinder in the fast lane in the 200m breaststroke. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
South Australian Commonwealth Games gold medallist Brittany Castelluzzo (Tea Tree Gully, SA) added the 200m butterfly in a qualifying time of 2:04.50 after winning the 100m fly in a pb of 56.00 to secure her place for Beijing.
Sunshine Coast Olympian Alex Perkins bounced back from illness that saw her withdraw from the 100m butterfly to win the 50m freestyle in a Beijing qualifier of 23.45 – equalling her best swum at the Westmont World Cup last year. Perkins’ cross-talents in freestyle and butterfly makes her an invaluable member of the Dolphins team.
Perkins confirmed her status as Australia’s third fastest 50 freestyler of all time behind legends Emma McKeon (23.04) and Cate Campbell (23.19). The 100m winner, Olivia Wunsch (Carlile, NSW) was second in 24.05 and Chloe Rowe-Hagans (St Andrews, QLD) third in 24.58.
While in the men’s 50m freestyle final, it was Isaac Cooper (Miami, QLD) who re-affirmed his short course status – equalling Kyle Chalmers’ 20.68 as the equal second fastest Australian – behind McEvoy’s stunning record breaker of 20.22 at the World Cup – Cooper’s second win of the meet with former world champion taking the 50m backstroke earlier in the meet. Cooper too slick for Flynn Southam (Bond, QLD) 20.95 and Ollie Moclair (North Sydney, NSW) 21.08 after the 18-yeare-old’s 20.98 in the heats.
FLASH-BACK: Alex Perkins returned to the pool in a flash in the 50m freestyle after a digestive upset. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
WHAT A RELIEF: Isaac Cooper lets his swimming do the talking in the 50m freestyle win. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
Paris Olympian Joshua Yong produced a stunner to win the 200m breaststroke in a pb and qualifying time of 2:03.13 from 50 and 100m breaststroke winner Joshua Collett (Bond) in 2:04.36. Rounding out the namesake trifecta was Brisbane Grammar’s Joshua Anderson in 2:07.13. Yong and Collett will both head to Beijing as Australia continues to build its breaststroke stocks towards LA28 and Brisbane 32.
TOP JOSH: Joshua Yong on top of the podium in the bragging brights breaststroke battle over 200m against his namesakes and nails a return to the Dolphins for the World SC Champs. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
27-year-old Victorian David Schlicht (MLC Aquatic) was unfortunately disqualified from the 100 IM final for an incorrect turn after winning the final. Collett was elevated to first and his third win of the meet in 52.73, ahead of 200 IM bronze medallist Lukas Dunn (Knox Pymble) 52.79 and Callum Halloran-Lavelle(Nunawading) upgraded to the podium in 53.35. Schlicht, who won the 200 IM, was named on his fourth Australian Short Course Team.
Meanwhile, Queensland again dominates selection with 12 spots for half the team, followed by Victoria and NSW with four each and South Australia with two.
Parting Pic ……….
BEIJING BOUND: Australian Dolphins Swim Team for 20926 Beijing World Championships. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)
2026 Australian Dolphins Swim Team, 18th World Short Course Championships, Beijing, December 1-6
| Iona | Anderson | Highlanders, WA |
| Ben | Armbruster | Bond Uni, QLD |
| Cameron | Bladen* | TigerSharks, VIC |
| Brittany | Castelluzzo | Tea Tree Gully, SA |
| Josh | Collett | Bond Uni, QLD |
| Isaac | Cooper | Miami, QLD |
| Marcus | Da Silva* | Cranbrook, NSW |
| Jenna | Forrester | St Peters Western, QLD |
| Max | Giuliani | Miami, QLD |
| Emily | Jones* | Hunter, NSW |
| Tara | Kinder | Melbourne Vicentre, VIC |
| Mark | Nikolaev* | Somerset GC, QLD |
| Lani | Pallister | St Peters Western, QLD |
| Alexandria | Perkins | UniSC Spartans, QLD |
| William | Petric | Nunawading, VIC |
| Alex | Quach* | Nudgee College, QLD |
| David | Schlicht | MLC Aquatic, VIC |
| Sam | Short | Rackley, QLD |
| Amelie | Smith* | Rocky City, QLD |
| Flynn | Southam | Bond Uni, QLD |
| Stuart | Swinburn | City of Sydney, NSW |
| Matt | Temple | Marion, SA |
| Olivia | Wunsch | Carlile, NSW |
| Josh | Yong | Highlanders, WA |
*Denotes rookie
2026 Australian Short Course Championships, Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre, FINALS, Day 4,
WOMEN
50m freestyle
- Alex Perkins (Uni Sunshine Coast, QLD) 23.45
- Olivia Wunsch (Carlile, NSW) 24.05
- Chloe Rowe-Hagans (St Andrews, QLD) 24.58
800m freestyle
- Lani Pallister (St Peters Western, QLD) 8:01.66
- Jenna Forrester (St Peters Western, QLD) 8:16.81
- Molly Young (Carlile, NSW) 8:35.25
200m breaststroke
- Tara Kinder (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) 2:18.89 (QT)
- Amelie Smith (Rocky City, QL:D) 2:21.26
- Eva Julia Spedding (Griffith University, QLD) 2:22.93
200m butterfly
- Brittany Castelluzzo (Tea Tree Gully, SA) 2:04.52 (QT)
- Poppy Stephen (Brisbane Grammar, QLD) 2:05.62
- Jess Cole (Carlile, NSW) 2:09.64
100m IM
- Iona Anderson (Highlanders, WA) 59.51
- Lexi Harrison (Manly, NSW) 59..70
- Isabella Boyd (Nunawading, VIC) 59.77
MEN
50m freestyle
- Isaac Cooper (Miami, QLD) 20.68
- Flynn Southam (Bond University, QLD) 20.95
- Ollie Moclair (North Sydney, NSW) 21.08
1500m freestyle
- Sam Short (Rackley, QLD) 14:15.10
- Tex Cross (Highlanders, WA) 14:42.17
- Alec Mander (Southside Penhros Wesley, WA) 15:03.36
200m breaststroke
- Joshua Yong (Highlanders, WA) 2:03.13 (QT)
- Joshua Collett (Bond University, QLD) 2:04.36
- Joshua Anderson (Brisbane Grammar, QLD) 2:07.13
200m butterfly
- Alex Quach (Nudgee College, QLD) 1:51.65 (pb QT)
- William Jordfan (Brisbane Grammar, QLD) 1:53.85
- Dylan Zhou (Knox Pymble, NSW) 1:55.27
100m IM
- Joshua Collett (Bond University, QLD) 52.73
- Lukas Dunn (Knox Pymble, NSW) 52.79)
- Callum Lavelle-Halloran (Nunawading, VIC) 53.53
MULTI DISABILITY
WOMEN
100m butterfly
- Sarah Howe (St Hilda’s, WA) 1:10.77
- Sienna Compton (NuSwim, NSW) 1:18.45
- Iesha Apthorpe (Pt Macquarie, NSW) 1:02.88
100m breaststroke
- Amelie Springett-Kelly (Aquablitz Toongabbie, NSW) 1:43.90
- Ikuh Zenno (Japan) 1:18.12
- Gemma Sellick (Warringah Aquatic, NSW) 1:29.46
50m backstroke
- Gemma Sellick (Warringah Aquatic, NSW) 33.90
- Ikuh Zenno (Japan) 31.36
- Catilyn Hayes (Helensvale, QLD) 40.44
MEN
100m butterfly
- Beau Matthews (Aquablitz Toongabbie, NSW) 57.93
- Jesse Aungels (Cruiz, ACT) 1:06.04
- Samuel Gould (Griffith University, QLD) 59.33
50m backstroke
- Jesse Aungels (Cruiz, ACT) 31.89
- James Logan (Geelong, VIC) 30.31
- Joshua Alford (Uni QLD) 30.48
100m breaststroke
- Beau Matthews (Aquablitz Toongabbie, NSW) 1:05.39
- Samuel Gould (Griffith University, QLD) 1:08.8
- Declan Carriage (Dapto, NSW) 1:12.66