Top Races To Watch at the Australian Short Course Championships; Cam McEvoy, Sam Short and Brittany Castelluzzo The Headline Acts
Australia’s champion world champion freestylers Sam Short, Cam McEvoy and Brittany Castelluzzo will headline the three day Australian Short Course Championships kick off at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre on Wednesday
All eyes will be on two-time world and Olympic champion McEvoy who will take to the blocks in an exhibition 25m freestyle on Day Two.
And former world champion Short will line up in the 400, 800 and 1500m freestyle and newly crowned 4x200m freestyle world champion Castelluzzo will have a busy meet chasing the 200m freestyle crown.
While butterfly specialist Matt Temple (Marion, SA) will take on Kai Taylor (St Peters Western) in the 100m freestyle with Temple swimming his pet 50 and 100m butterfliy events, using the meet to fine tune his preparations ahead of Japan Open in November.
“I think I’ve been back in the water for four or five weeks,……I thought, I’ll come to Melbourne, see friends and family, do a bit of racing,” said Temple, the former Melbourne boy who drove over 9000 kilometres from his home in Adelaide to Cape York at the top of Australia when he took his break.
“I travelled up to Cape York and back. So a bit different to playing footy ike my time off last year.”
Temple’s fellow South Australians, Castelluzzo and emerging distance freestyler Molly Walker (Southern Performance, SA) in the 200, 400 and 1500m will both be chasing their first Australian titles.
Here’s a look at seven races to watch over the next three days:
DAY ONE (WEDNESDAY) October 1)
Men’s Open 400m freestyle
Brisbane-based Rackley Olympian and former long course world champion Sam Short’s career in short course racing is certainly limited. The only official 400m time dates back to 2020, swum in a Virtual Meet when he clocked 3:41.03 at just 17 years of age.
Short has since built up quite a repertoire in a decorated long course career which has netted him a world crown in Fukuoka in 2023 and world championship silver recently in Singapore after narrowly missing bronze at last year’s Olympics in the 400m – his 3:40.68 ranking Short the fifth fastest man in history. A personal best here may well be on the cards. Short will be joined by Olympic and World championship teammate, IM specialist Will Petric (St Peters Western, QLD) and 20-year-old Noah Kamprad (Bond, QLD) – fifth in last year’s 400m freestyle final and a finalist in Iast year’s Trials final.
Women’s Open 400m freestyle
Molly Walker (Southern Performance, SA), coached by Scott Beringen looks the stand-out here after her record breaking international debut for Australia A at the 2025 TYR Summer Pro Series in Irvine, California. Molly breaking the long-standing SA records in the 400, 800 and 1500m freestyle – records held by 1984 LA Olympian Anna McVann – clocking 4:07.22 (400m), 8:34.04 (800m) and 16:18.38 (1500m) – clocking 4:07.22 (400m), 8:34.04 (800m) and 16:18.38 (1500m) – winning gold in the 400m. Twenty-year-old Molly will be joined by two exciting Victorian 15-year-olds, Arika Erdenko (Surrey Park, VIC) and Ciara Jeffs (Nunawading, VIC) – Erdenko winning two silver medals (400 and 800m) and bronze (1500m) in the 15 years at the 2025 Australian Age; Jeffs winning three golds at the same meet in the 14 years 200m backstroke, 100m butterfly and 200m freestyle – a star on the rise into the senior ranks.
Also in the Timed Final will be Adriana Fydler, the 22-year-old daughter of Olympians (1980) Rose Fydler(nee Brown) and Chris Fydler (1992, 1996, 2000).
While the morning Time Final heat will feature Chloe Douglas-Byrne (St Peters Western, QLD) daughter of 1984 Olympian Dimity Douglas.
DAY TWO (THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2)
Men’s Open 25m freestyle
A real treat here with the appearance of two-time World and Olympic 50m freestyle champion, Cam McEvoy (Somerville House, QLD) in the men’s 25m exhibition after he clocked an unofficial world best time of 9.36secs at the 2025 Speedo Short Course Preparation Meet on July 6. Faster than the previous best recorded time set by Sydney 2000 Olympic relay gold medallist Ashley Callus who had clocked 10.03 in 2009 swum in the now banned hi-tech full-length body suit. Also keep an eye on Ollie Moclair (Cranbrook, NSW)who represented Australia at the World Juniors in Romania, clocking a long course PB of 22.11 to secure first reserve. Moclair had earlier in the year clocked a SC personal best and Australian 17-years age record of 21.69 to win the boys 50m freestyle at the 2025 Battle of the Clubs meet at his Cranbrook School.
Women’s Open 200m freestyle
Fastest seed coming in is newly crowned World Championship gold medallist Brittany Castelluzzo (Tea Tree Gully, SA) who made her debut at the recent World Championships in Singapore – winning gold in 4x200m freestyle relay. Also Molly Walker (Southern Performance, SA), looks the stand-out here after her record-breaking international debut for Australia A at the 2025 TYR Summer Pro Series in Irvine, California.. Lucy Dring (USC Spartans, QLD) and 2025 World Championship IM and breaststroker Tara Kinder (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) will also be in the mix.
Men’s Open 100m Freestyle
Olympians Matt Temple (Marion, SA) and Kai Taylor (St Peters Western, QLD) headline the top seeds in the blue ribband 100m freestyle with Temple coming in as the seventh fastest Australian at 46.63 swum at the 2022 World SC Championships in Melbourne. Taylor, 22-year-old son of triple Olympian Hayley Lewis, the second seed on 47.56, followed by 2024 finalist and 2025 Victorian champion James Ward (Caulfield, VIC) 47.67 and second-placegetter Lachlan Jacket-Simpson (Propulsion, VIC) 47.84
DAY THREE (FRIDAY October 3)
Women’s Open 200IM
World Championship debutant and defending champion Tara Kinder (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) will be the one to beat here, after her bronze medal-winning swim in 2:06.56 at this year’s Singapore Short Course World Cup – with three of the sport’s biggest names Kaylee McKeown, Emily Seebohm and Alicia Coutts among those who have swum faster. A smokey could well be her Singapore World’s LC team mate Brittany Castelluzzo (Tree Tea Gully, SA), celebrated Philippines and South East Asian champion, 24-year-old Xiandi Chua (Phillipines) who is no stranger to Australian shores and who has competed in World Cups, winning several Singapore National Championships and local Nunawading, VIC, pair Alannah Torrance and Dakoda Mathers, who were first and second respectively in the Victorian SC State Championships.
Women’s Open 1500m freestyle
Molly Walker (Southern Performance, SA), coached by Scott Beringen looks the stand-out again here after her record-breaking international debut for Australia A at the 2025 TYR Summer Pro Series in Irvine, California. Molly breaking the long-standing SA records in the 400, 800 and 1500m freestyle – records held by 1984 LA Olympian Anna McVann – clocking 4:07.22 (400m), 8:34.04 (800m) and 16:18.38 (1500m) – clocking 4:07.22 (400m), 8:34.04 (800m) and 16:18.38 (1500m) – winning gold in the 400m.
Then there is 20-year-old accomplished distance swimmer Sienna Deurloo (Toowoomba Grammar, QLD) a dual silver medallist over 800 and 1500m at the 2023 Australian Championships and a finalist in the 1500m in 2024. Also competes in open water over 5, 10 and 25km.
As well as World Junior Championship representative 17-year-old Amelie Smith (Rocky City, QLD) who finished 5th in this event in 2024 and went on to dominate the Australian Age Meet winning the 400IM and the 400,800 and 1500m freestyle to earn her place on the Australian Junior Team. And they will be joined by 15-year-old, Arika Erdenko (Surrey Park, VIC) who won two silver medals (400 and 800m) and bronze (1500m) in the 15 years at the 2025 Australian Age for what will be an intriguing 60 lap battle royal to conclude the individual events.
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