The 2026 Australian Swimming Trials in Sydney have kicked off with a bang, and the second night of action was no exception. With Commonwealth and Pan Pac roster spots on the line, the competition was fierce, and the performances were nothing short of spectacular. Here's a recap of the key moments and standout performances from Day 2 Finals.
Women's 100 Breaststroke
The women's 100 breaststroke final was a thrilling race, with all eyes on 17-year-old Sienna Toohey, the top seed coming into the meet. Toohey, an Albury product, blasted out to an opening 50 of 30.58, not too far off her lifetime best in the 50 breast of 30.39. She then closed well, splitting 35.39 on the way home to touch in a final time of 1:05.97, breaking the 1:06 barrier for the first time. This swim breaks Leisel Jones' Aussie Age Record for 17-year-old girls of 1:06.37, set in 2003, and moves her into 5th in the world this season. Toohey also becomes the third-fastest Australian of all-time, only trailing Jones (1:05.09) and Sarah Katsoulis (1:05.86).
Women's 50 Butterfly
USC Spartan Alexandria Perkins made it two-for-two through two nights of racing in Sydney, winning the women's butterfly in a time of 25.60 after dominating last night's 100 fly. Perkins, a 25-year-old, said post-race that she was simply getting the job done and is happy to add the 50 to her schedule at the Commonwealth Games, having slipped under the qualifying time by two one-hundredths. Rackley's Lily Price, who showed she had speed to burn early in last night's 100 fly final, had a decent showing to crack the 26-second barrier in 25.91, narrowly missing her season-best of 25.84 set in March.
Women's 100 Backstroke
Iona Anderson got out to the early lead, but it was all Kaylee McKeown coming home in the final of the women's 100 backstroke. McKeown, the reigning Olympic and world champion, delivered a blistering closing split to book the victory with a new season-best time of 57.77. This marks her first swim under 58 seconds this season after previously going 58.06 in April. McKeown remains the third-fastest woman in the world behind Americans Regan Smith (57.49) and Isabelle Stadden (57.55).
Men's 200 Freestyle
The men's schedule kicked off with the 200 freestyle, which should be an exciting race with no clear-cut favorite and relay spots on the line for this summer. Edward Sommerville was the only Aussie man under 1:45 last year in 1:44.93, and he leads the national rankings again this season with his 1:45.34 clocking from the Japan Open in November.
Men's 100 Backstroke
The men's 100 back will be headlined by 17-year-old standout Henry Allan, who recovered from a slow start to secure a runner-up finish last night in the 50 back final, showing impressive over-the-water form that's a good indicator for the 100. Isaac Cooper, who won the 50 back, led Allan through the heats by a small margin, but has scratched the final.
Men's 100 Butterfly
Matt Temple has long been a dominant force on the domestic scene in the men's 100 fly, and he popped off a stunning 50.60 swim in the prelims to move into 4th in the 2025-26 world rankings. Ben Armbruster has been impressive over the last year, breaking 51 last summer and clocking 51.22 at the Japan Open in November. Kyle Chalmers set a new personal best of 51.04 in the prelims, but has scratched out of the final.
In conclusion, the 2026 Australian Swimming Trials in Sydney have set the stage for an exciting summer of swimming. With Commonwealth and Pan Pac roster spots on the line, the competition was fierce, and the performances were nothing short of spectacular. The trials have already seen some standout performances, and the rest of the meet promises to be equally as exciting.
