Eight Olympic Gold Medallists Spearhead Powerful Australian Dolphins Team For Home World Short Course Championships
Australia has named a powerful 36-strong team for this year’s 16th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) in Melbourne in December including eight Olympic gold medallists, a brother-sister combination, nine rookies and world record holder Minna Atherton on her third Dolphins short course team.
The eight gold medallists are led by Australia’s most successful Olympic and Commonwealth Games swimmer Emma McKeon, Kaylee McKeown, Mack Horton (Griffith University, QLD), Kyle Chalmers, Madi Wilson, Meg Harris (Marion, SA), Chelsea Hodges (Southport, QLD) and recently crowned world champion and Olympic Program Swimmer of the Year Mollie O’Callaghan (St Peters Western, QLD) who will headline the team – the first time Australia has hosted a World SC Championship meet – the fourth time it has staged a World Championships after the Long Course meets of 1991 and 1998 in Perth and a Melbourne (2007).
FAMILY AFFAIR: Brendon-Smith, Mikayla Smith, Kaylee-McKeown and Reidle-Smith, pictured at the Victorian State Championships. Photo Courtesy: Nunawading Swimming Club.
Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Brendon Smith (Griffith University, QLD) will be joined for the first time by his rookie sister Mikayla Smith (Miami, QLD) – who will now sit alongside, Rob and Susie Woodhouse, David and Emma McKeon (Suzie’s son and daughter) and Gary and Karen Lord as brother and sister siblings selected together on an Australian swim team – after they both moved to the Gold Coast from Victorian stronghold Nunawading.
They are the first brother-sister to represent on an Australian Short Course Team together but the second on different teams following Victorian pair Jemma Schlicht (2016) and brother David Schlicht (2018 and this year’s Class 2022) since the first Fina Championships were swum in Palma de Majorca in 1993.
David Schlicht (MLC Aquatic, VIC), Jenna Strauch (Miami, QLD), Grayson Bell (Somerset,QLD) and Atherton are all backing up from Hangzhou.
World record hold over 100m backstroke, short course, Atherton debuted on the Australian team in 2016 in Windsor, winning bronze in the 100m backstroke in 2018 in Hangzhou.
While Atherton and Clyde Lewis (Griffith University, QLD) are the only survivors of the 2016 team and dual Olympians Wilson (Marion, SA) and Leah Neale (Chandler, QLD) are backing up from the 2014 team to Doha.
The team includes 22 athletes who contested either the FINA World Championships in Budapest or for all-conquering Birmingham Commonwealth Games team, as well as the nine rookies named to their first senior Australian team.
While the opportunity to swim a World Championships in front of a home crowd is significant for the entire team, it will also take on extra meaning for Victorian born athletes including 2016 Olympic champion Horton (Griffith University, QLD), his Tokyo team mate Matt Temple (Marion, SA), Commonwealth Games medallist Sam Williamson (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC), the Smith siblings and Strauch as they prepare to compete in their home city.
Swimming stronghold Queensland has 24 representatives, South Australia five, NSW four, Victoria two and ACT one with the Michael Bohl/Janelle Pallister Griffith University squad placing seven representatives Horton, Lewis, McKeon, McKeown, Brendon Smith, former SA rookie Emilie Muir and recent three-time Australian champion over 400, 800 and 1500m freestyle and two-time National record holder Lani Pallister.
Australian Dolphins Head Coach Rohan Taylor says he is excited by the prospect of this Dolphins team competing in front of a passionate Australian crowd.
“This group is a great mix of experienced athletes at the international level who are race hardened following some quality campaigns this year, alongside some fresh faces who have the rare honour of making their debut here in Australia,” Taylor said.
“Ours is one of the most competitive teams to make in international swimming, so I have complete confidence every time we select a squad that they will enter the meet prepared and willing to give nothing short of their best.”
“These Championships represent a unique opportunity to leave your mark in the memory of a home crowd and I’m certain we have a proud group of Dolphins here that are motivated by that chance.”
Taylor will again lead the team as Head Coach and is set to be supported by team coaches Bohl, Dean Boxall (St Peters Western, QLD), Craig Jackson (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC), Amanda Isaac (Abbotsleigh, NSW), Damien Jones (Rackley Centenary, QLD), Richard Scarce (Miami, QLD) and Adam Kable (SOPAC, NSW).
The 16th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) will run from December 13-18 at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC).
2022 Australian Dolphins World Short Course Championships Team
Minna Atherton (Bond, QLD)
Grayson Bell (Somerset, QLD)
Brittany Castelluzzo (Tea Tree Gully, SA)*
Kyle Chalmers (Marion, SA)
Shaun Champion (Abbotsleigh, NSW)*
Isaac Cooper (Bundaberg, QLD)
Lizzy Dekkers (Newmarket Racers, QLD)
Alexander Grant (Miami, QLD)*
Kayla Hardy (Cruiz, ACT)*
Meg Harris (Marion, SA)
Ty Hartwell (Chandler, QLD)*
Chelsea Hodges (Southport, QLD)
Mack Horton (Griffith University, QLD)
Se-Bom Lee (Carlile, NSW)
Clyde Lewis (Griffith University, QLD)
Emma McKeon (Griffith University, QLD)
Kaylee McKeown (Griffith University, QLD)
Emilie Muir (Griffith University, QLD)*
Leah Neale (Chandler, QLD)
Tommy Neill (Rackley Centenary, QLD)
Mollie O’Callaghan (St Peters Western, QLD)
Lani Pallister (Griffith University, QLD)
Alex Perkins (USC Spartans, QLD)
Jamie Perkins (St Peters Western, QLD)*
David Schlicht (MLC Aquatic, VIC)
Brendon Smith (Griffith University, QLD)
Mikayla Smith (Miami, QLD)*
Flynn Southam (Bond, QLD)
Jenna Strauch (Miami, QLD)
Stuart Swinburn (City of Sydney, NSW)*
Laura Taylor (Bond, QLD)
Matt Temple (Marion, SA)
Sam Williamson (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC)
Madi Wilson (Marion, SA)
Brad Woodward (Mingara, NSW)
Josh Yong (USC Spartans, QLD)
*Denotes Australian Dolphins rookie
Emma McKeon also went to the 2010 worlds in Dubai