Olympic champion Cameron McEvoy clocked a 21.30 for the 50m free win in day 3 finals at national Trials in Adelaide as fastest man in 2025 so far and the first of two soon-to-be dads making a podium that led five Australian men inside 22sec.

Tricky to make an impact as a bloke in the company of McEvoy and second home, in 21.68, Kyle Chalmers, not to mention Sam Short, who joined the top contenders for 800m free honours at World Championships in Singapore from July 27, with a 7:40.95 win, yet Harrison Turner is our main pic not only to reflect his and snapper Delly Carr's skills but because it's been 13 years since an Australian man has raced inside 1:55 over 200m butterfly.

The last to do it was Nick D'Arcy, who still holds the Australian record at 1:54.46 in a shiny suit in 2009, and the Australian best of 1:54.61 from 2010. Both those efforts felt the tree shake today as Harrison Turner took a sledgehammer to his 1:57.07 best of 2024 with a 1:54.90 thud of thunder and ticket to Singapore Worlds.

Day 3 also saw the Dolphins maintain lead speed in the ranks of nations vying for glory in the women's 4x200m free.

With Ariarne Titmus bypassing Singapore and the 200m free win today going to Olympic champion Mollie O'Callaghan in 1:54.43 ahead of Lani Pallister's 1:54.89, Jamie Perkins on 1:55 and a snap for fourth win 1:56 flat, Australia checked in for World titles with the fastest quartet (and top 5) of 200m freestylers in the world.

Day 3 Results at a glance ahead of race reports:

• RESULTS IN FULL

Men's 50m Freestyle

Cameron McEvoy's 21.30, off a 0.55sec reaction time, kept a 21.68 from Kyle Chalmers at bay, Australian boasting three others inside 22 this day: Tomas Nowakowski in 21.78, Isaac Cooper, 21.83, and Jamie Jack, 21.84.

McEvoy, on 21.76 in heats, Chalmers and their respective partners are expecting their first arrivals this season and today, the dads-to-be led a podium of the three oldest men (31 down to 26) in the 50m free final.

Jack was the last of the sub-22s but will seek a Dolphin debut when he races in the 100m free tomorrow as a candidate for the Dolphins “Siblings Club” as brother to sprinter Shayna. Meanwhile, speaking through Swimming Australian, McEvoy noted that his winning time was faster than his victory pace at Paris 2024 last year.

After a 21.7 and 21.3 today, he said: "To have that type of ability under my belt, I think that time was world number one this year, so far. That’ll probably change, but still nice in this moment."

McEvoy, Olympic champion and the 2023 World Champion at the last global showcase to feature all top contenders, will indeed head to Singapore this July as World-ranked No1 on the clock, pending any developments at Canadian and French trials to come. The closest to McEvoy on the clock so far is American Jack Alexy, on 21.39 at national championships last week.

Chalmers said: “Yeah, it's extremely satisfying (to swim a PB). I've been putting a lot of work into not necessarily the 50m, but my speed work. So this morning, I was a little bit disheartened with how hard I pushed for it.”

“But the 50m is such a weird event, like you try harder, but you actually go slower. This morning I took four more strokes over a 50m which is a lot more than I did in Norway when I did my PB, but you're just spinning your arms and not holding any water. So tonight, I had to really trust myself and trust what I've been doing in training and just try and stay relaxed in an environment that is a little bit foreign for me. I'm not a 50m (freestyle) swimmer so I never really know what's going to happen.”

Women's 200m freestyle

Lani Pallister, who celebrated membership of the sub-4mins 400m freestyle club at the start of he meet, had the edge to the halfway mark of the 200m fight.

That edge measured 0.16sec, the biggest difference between her and O'Callaghan until the Paris 2024 champion sped for home down the last length to win by 0.46sec. Never far away, Jamie Perkins took third in 1:55.44 ahead of a snap 1:56.09 snap for fourth from Abbey Webb and Hannah Casey.

Something similar happened at U.S. Championships last week, when Claire Weinstein took the title in 1:54.92, ahead of Katie Ledecky (1:55.26) and Torri Huske (1:55.71) with fourth a snap at 1:55.82 from Erin Gemmel and Anna Peplowski.

The Dolphins, Olympic champions and World record holders, will head to Singapore without 200m World record holder (1:52.23) Titmus but with O'Callaghan likely to make gains and Australia almost a second ahead of the USA in a 'last-time-out' paper exercise.

O’Callaghan was lightly relieved to be back and finding good form after what she saids was a much-needed and long post-Paris break said: “Lani gave me a good challenge tonight, which was great. It’s nice to see these other girls stepping up, especially with Arnie not competing this year. It’s really showing the depth.”

“This year's about having fun for me to be honest … but making the team and having that pressure taken off, it’s just about racing, meeting new people and having fun. Yeah it’s my fastest time of the year but even so, I always want to be my best.”

The emotion of a low-key moment was caught on camera by Delly Carr:

Men's 800m freestyle

In the 800m free, Sam Short added to his 400m win and 200m free second place with a 7:40.95, off a 3:47.95 at half-way. Ben Goedemans was also inside the cut for Singapore, with a 7:46.16 making him the latest Dolphin rookie, off a 3:52.48 at the 400m mark, Elijah Winnington third in 7:49.62.

Men's 200m Butterfly

With Olympic champions all about him in day 3 finals, Harrison Turner, who turns 21 this year, might have been happy to end there day as an also-named qualifier for World titles but a 1:54.90 meant more than a happy moment for swimmer and nation, given Nick D'Arcy's 16-year reign as the only Aussie inside 1:55.

Turner started his day with a 1:57.22 warning in heats. Progress was on the cards but none of his rivals were prepared for the 2sec the champion-to-be was about to improve in the final.

Out in 25.20 and at the half-way turn in 53.83 (28.63), Turner was 2sec ahead of his nearest rivals, the two Williams, Jordan, on 55.66, and Petric, on 55.88.

William Petric was the only other man to get inside 31sec on the third lap, as Turner fired a decisive 29.89 before a home-coming 31.18 that stopped the clock in 1:54.90 and catapulted the champion from Australia No14 all-time to No2. The result:

By the close of last year, Turner had still to get past the 1:57.04 then World record that granted Jon Sieben gold for self and Dolphins at the 1984 Olympic games in Los Angeles. Today, the Singapore-bound Dolphin leapt the legend, former national record holder Justin Norris, and this school of more recents:

• 1:55.25 Matt Temple, 2021; 1:55.26 David Morgan 2019; 1:55.32 Grant Irvine, 2013; 1:55.88 Bowen Gough, 2021; 1:56.17 Justin Norris 2000; 1:56.23 Chris Wright 2010; 1:56.28 Jayden Hadler 2011; 1:56.31 Travis Nederpelt 2011; 1:56.41 Mitchell Pratt 2014; 1:56.50 Nic Brown, 2019; and 1:56.84 Keiran Qaium 2016.

The following coverage is from Swimming Australia press releases of day 1 and 2 action at Adelaide national Trials for the World Championships, while Craig Lord was away celebrating his and his wife's Silver Wedding Anniversary.

Day 2:

Toohey, 16, To Make Dolphins Debut As McKeown & Perkins Pile Up Singapore Tickets

“I first met her (Liesel Jones) last year at Olympic trials on the final night. And then after Nationals this year, she sent me a video the night after I broke her 100m (breaststroke) record, just congratulating me. It honestly made my week.” Sienna Toohey

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Day 1:

Pallister Joins The Sub-4-Min 400 Free Club In 3:59.72

“What we have at St Peter’s is something really special, and I’m really lucky that I get to be a part of that now. I saw a quote once saying that ‘water carries energy’ and the energy that comes out of that St Peter’s pool is electrifying.” - Lani Pallister

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

McKeown’s Day Of Dashing Drama Ends In Triumph As Short Scares His Best on 3:41 Flat

“I just haven’t done the work I would have usually done with my prep, and that shows in my swimming and in my training, so I’m just using this year to find my feet and get myself back.” - Kaylee McKeown

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

In other finals on day 3:

50m Breaststroke Finals

Women: 

Teenager Sienna Toohey doubled down on her 100m title by winning the 50m. Toohey, 16, clocked 30.79 – another PB. Another Sienna, Sienna Harben, finished second (30.90), also in a career best:

Men:

Para Events

Courtesy of Swimming Australia:

Men's 50m Backstroke Multi Class:
Paralympic champion Ben Hance (S14) dropped a 26.09 in the 50m backstroke tonight and set a VIRTUS world record - the only world-best time posted so far this meet (VIRTUS Games is an international competition for intellectually impaired athletes, this event is not a para swimming event).

Hance, who was the first to win back-to-back Paralympic golds in the S14 men’s 100m backstroke, scratched the 100 fly and 100 free from his program post Paris to focus on his world-first mission to win four consecutive titles. The St. Andrews swimmer said:

"Everything I do from here on is focused on backstroke. For the last four years, I barely trained it. It was always: 'Let’s do some 200 free, let’s do some 100 fly.' I even went months without doing a single backstroke set with Ash (Delaney). I’m doing all backstroke now, and we’ve made serious progress. I’m even bringing the 200 backstroke back - that’s going to be exciting.”