Short Shadows Märtens WR Pattern To Pace A 3:40.67 Best At Aussie Trials
Day 1 finals, Sydney: "I'm obsessed with that 3:39 barrier. I work my bum off every day to try and get it. As hard as I've trained all year, this is the most consistent I've ever been. Yeah, I think it's only a matter of time" - Sam Short, who'd "probably give my right leg for" a 3:39
Sam Short shaved 0.01sec off his personal best with a dominant 3:40.67 victory in the 400m freestyle, the first final of the 2026 Australian Swimming Trials in Sydney.
Out in 52.28, the 22-year-old coached by Damien Jones at the Rackley Centenary Swim Club in Brisbane, was almost two seconds clear of the chasing pack. Short stretched the gap to 4sec by half-way, on 1:47.33, then turned in 2:43.69 with two lengths to go for gold as the 5th fastest man in history with the 10th swiftest performance ever.
The list above him confirmed Short as all-time No2 Australian behind the fastest three swims of Ian Thorpe, the fastest man in a textile suit between 1998 and 2025, when Olympic champion Lukas Märtens became the first man in history to crack the 3:40 mark:
That's a significant swim not just for its overall speed but the way Short swam it: not quite the World-record rhythm but much closer to it than the records that went before it, textile and shiny, and a marked change from the pace Short raced through for the 2023 World title in Fukuoka:
- 52.28; 1:47.33; 2:43.69; 3:40.67 - 2006 - Short, Sydney today for World rank No1 so far this year
- 53.58; 1:49.29; 2:45.49; 3:40.68 - 2023 - Short, World title, Fukuoka
And the last three World records:
- 51.90; 1:47.55; 2:44.01; 3:39.96 (55.95) - Lukas Märtens GER - Stockholm 2025
- 54.42/1:51.02/2:47.17/3:40.07 (52.90) - Paul Biedermann GER - Rome 2009
- 53.02; 1:49.57; 2:45.43; 3:40.08 - Ian Thorpe AUS - Manchester 2002
Martens is the target for Short, the German pioneer having set a new level of time-warp in the 400m free: at 51.90 he matched Mark Spitz's first 100m free World record in 1970; at 1:47.55, he matched the third of Michael The Albatross Gross' third 200m free World record from 1984:
Craig Lord
Short emerged to confirm that he had Märtens in mind, the 3:39 WR a time, said the Australian that he'd "probably give my right leg for":
"I'm obsessed with that 3:39 barrier. I work my bum off every day to try and get it. As hard as I've trained all year, this is the most consistent I've ever been. Yeah, I think it's only a matter of time. You know, I got two more, at least two more great opportunities this year to give it another crack. I know I stuffed up big time, one of those turns, so there's like a couple of points there, but I wish I could just race Lukas this year."
Nearest to Short was 2022 World champion, Elijah Winnington, on 3:44.17, third place to Ben Goedemans in 3:45.85.
Short was 'stoked'. Post-race, he said:
"I haven’t been a 3:40 since 2023, so obviously stoked with that, but I know there's room to go. I’m not surprised about that time at all. I’ve done some pretty crazy stuff, like I did a 3:41 six weeks ago in training, so I knew I was in red hot shape. Geez, it hurt that last 50. I knew I was on a good time because I had about 10 metres on Elijah (Winnington). I was like, there's no way he's going too slow. He's a world-class swimmer. I just wish I had that little (world record) line to chase at the end there. It's pretty hard by yourself."
Asked how tapered he was, Short replied:
"I'm not someone that needs a lot of rest. I can swim really fast, kind of all year round. Yeah, obviously a drop taper because we have got two big competitions coming up, so you can’t drop too hardcore, but obviously I feel pretty freaking good."
So, Märtens is still a class apart from all others with that sole sub-3:40 but what would it mean to Short to break that world record?
"I'd probably give my right leg for it, to be honest. I've dedicated my life to, well I’m only 22, but I’ve dedicated my little life to chasing that kind of perfection in the water. So, you know, one day, I really hope I can get there. But, you know, that's a great swim. I was really gunning for at least a 3:40.58. Thorpey went that time 26 years ago, pretty much to the day on the way to winning the Olympics in Sydney 2000. I wasn't even born yet, but he’s still tapped me out. One day, maybe."
Asked if he'd had a chat with Thorpe about it all, Short said:
"Not specifically, but I mean, like he commentates. I've seen him at Worlds. He's such a good inspiration. He's such a nice guy as well. Great leader of the sport. Just way ahead of his time, to be honest. We couldn’t even beat his time then."
Craig Lord
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The session also saw victories (full results of finals below) for:
- Lani Pallister, on 3:59.72 in the 400m free ahead of Jenna Forrester's 4:04.30, the the 'swim down; for this:
- Forrester on 2:09.07 in the 200m medley ahead of a 2:09.40 from Ella Ramsay - the race going without Aussie record holder Kaylee McKeown (see what she had to say below)
- McKeown 27.13 to 27.18 over Mollie Callaghan in a tight tussle 50 back final
- Alexandria Perkins, on 56.88, to win by precisely a second in the 100m butterfly
- Sam Williamson, on 59.07, after 59.11 in heats off the 100m breaststroke, a fine return to form after surgery and rehabilitation:
Nicole Jeffery
McKeown & O'Callaghan A Whisker Apart
The nail-biter final of Day 1 unfolded in that women's 50m backstroke, two of Australia's biggest hitters just 0.06sec apart.
Kaylee McKeown emerged from her 27.13 win to be asked about her withdrawal from the 200m medley. She said:
"When I got sick on Friday. You can't help those things in life. Unfortunately, people either get injured, sickness comes up, or, you know, just anything can get in your way. So, unfortunately, it's just way the dice has rolled for me, and I’ve got no choice but to stick it out, and just do my best. So just paying attention to health, and making sure I'm not putting myself in a hole for the rest of the week."
And given the little bit of illness, how did she feel about the swim she did get in on Day 1?
"Oh, look, I've done a lot faster in training. So, I think I just had that little bit extra expectation on myself, but I think that's, like, the third or four fastest I've been, so I really can't complain."
Mollie O’Callaghan (27.19) puts up a good fight in domestic waters on backstroke but would the Olympic and World 200m free champion flip the coin for the Commonwealths, too?
"As Kaylee said, you take it day by day, so just try and finish the rest of this meet and decide by the end and have a look at the program. I always enter being sceptical, like, if I'm gonna enter in the backstroke or not, and it's just on the day if I qualify or not. So, who knows? I feel like 50 metres is very hard for me to comprehend. I don’t think I can ever actually go out all max in a 50. I just feel like I just spin my wheels and actually don't do much. So, I think, same with Kaylee. I think we're capable of doing a lot more. It's just how, and how to get the best out of yourself in 50 metres. With 100s, 200s, you've got time to build into it, but this is so complicated."
O'Callaghan has bigger targets, of course. How was she feeling about the week ahead?
"I don’t really know. I think I'm, again, taking it day by day. I won't be swimming the 100 backstroke tomorrow, so I get a day off. So this meet is a lot lighter for me. So I think just taking it day by day again and seeing what I can get out of each race."
Preparation had "been difficult", she added:
"There's a lot of ups and downs, as Kaylee said. You get thrown injuries, you get thrown sickness, you get thrown so much adversity. So I think about the process, just getting through, sticking to it and believing in yourself through those tough moments. So I think I've definitely done that and I’m just happy to be here."
Her St Peter Western coach Dean Boxall had plenty to smile about on day 1...
Pallister & Forrester Top A St Peters Sweep
Lani Pallister took the lead from the get go, was gone from the race beyond her own challenge by the 100m turn and had no reason to look back as the 800m Worlds silver medallist in the race of the championships in Singapore last year ploughed on to a 3:59.72 victory in a 400m free final that delivered a podium sweep for a St Peters Western program that delivered half the swimmers to the final.
Pallister emerged to describe the race as a "a little bit hurty, but another race under 4 minutes, that's my 4th time in about 12 months, so you can't be too disappointed with that".
Hoping for better?
"Yeah, I think you want to be near your best time anytime you race. I think that's what makes us all super competitive. But it's really special being able to do it side by side with Jenna, who's made two qualifying times tonight and is just an absolute animal, and Amelia as well, who went under the qualifying. So 3 girls from St Peter’s in the top 3 is pretty great."
Jenna Forrester's 4:04 best time for second place was an impressive short-break follow-up from a 2:09 win in the 200IM. The two races were just 40 minutes apart. She said:
"I am over the moon. I really didn't know what to expect coming in tonight, and I feel like it's absolutely incredible to race and train with Lani. She is such a hard worker and just has the most beautiful soul. So I feel so lucky to be able to do this with her."
On what had made her decide to do the double, Forrester explained:
"I feel like my training this year has been really consistent and I've had a really long block that's been uninterrupted. Previously I've dealt with injuries, so I thought, why not take up the challenge? And personally, I feel like it takes the pressure off the events a little bit. like before the 200IM it just felt like another race and I just had to get up and give it my best shot and I feel like approaching it with that mentality has been awesome."
A best by about 2 seconds, the freestyle final marked her first best time "in about 3 years.
"So I really feel like I'm back in business. It's taken a while to get back here, but I'm so proud of myself. I feel like I've just been really consistent putting in the hard work and yeah, like I said before, I haven't been injured and had to take time off like I had in previous years. So I think just getting a bit more work under my belt has been really helpful."
Williamson Swears He's Back
Sam Williamson's 59.07 was just part of the entertainment a week after his form in training had felt hopeful for the first time: "About a week ago I thought, you know what, we actually, maybe we can do this."
The rest of his reaction was the other part:
"Get the beep ready, because I'm gonna swear, because I'm f…ing back."
Asked how a day of two low 59s felt after 18 months of injury, heartache, turmoil, surgery sin a thorn knee tendon, rehabilitation and recovery back to full throttle, he said:
"It's vindication. It's something I don't think I'm going to be able to process for some time. Probably go home and have a little cry tonight and just process it all, but, you know what? It's a dream come true to be able to say I'm back and, you know, to be back."
And in the 100m for the 50m World champion of 2024. "Yeah, it's a dream come true, and it just makes all those, all those mornings where I wanted to throw in the towel worthwhile."
On back to back 59s, he added:
"It's been a long time since I've done that. It’s been two years since I've been under the minute. The goal was to come out and do two 59s, probably a little bit to crash out this morning. So certainly feeling it in the last 15, but, you know what? I've still got five more opportunities to do it, long course, this year, and yeah, I'm just gonna give it everything I've got."
Asked about his ambitions at Glasgow 2026 Commonwealths four years after gold at Birmingham 2022, Williamson said:
"Look I've still got the 50 to go. So the job's not quite done yet. Yeah. We've got 5 weeks to refine 5 weeks this week. For 5 weeks, to find a little bit more speed because while 59 is pretty good domestically, there are a lot of guys around the world going 58. So, you know, it's one thing to be back on the team, but the goal was always to be competitive at a world standard. So that's the target for the next few weeks."
In other finals:
