A new team leader, unfinished business and a litmus test ahead of the LA Games.

Witness history next week at the Australian Swimming Trials at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre (SOPAC) with three Dolphins teams to be selected across six days of racing: Commonwealth Games, Pan Pacific Championships and Para Pan Pacific Championships.

At the same pool that showcased a golden era of legends that included Ian Thorpe, Susie O’Neill, Grant Hackett, Priya Cooper and Leisel Jones, the Trials return to the home of the 2000 Games.

And this time around the storylines include:

• Decorated para star Tim Hodge, recently promoted to the Commonwealth Games leadership team, returns to the pool that he made his first Australian team a decade ago;
• A grateful Olympic and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Shaya Jack vying for her third Commonwealth Games team but this time alongside her brother Jamie, who is aiming for his Dolphins debut;
• Freestyler Chloe Osborn launching her “LA Story” by targeting selection for the Para Pan Pacs to face her American rivals.

Speaking at North Sydney Pool ahead of Trials this morning three-time Paralympian and defending Commonwealth Games S9 100m backstroke champion Tim Hodge (NSWIS/photographed above) said: 

“To be part of the (Commonwealth Games) leadership team is a huge honour. I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to witness some great leaders in the sport, Brenden Hall, Ellie Cole and a whole range of amazing athletes and so I think it’s my turn now to carry on the tradition and to try and emulate a lot of their leadership qualities.

““And to be able to be a leader at the Comm Games as well, jointly with able-bodied athletes is just an amazing opportunity to learn the differences in the two teams but also to unite the teams as well.”

Paris Paralympian and seeking selection for Para Pan Pacific Championships Chloe Osborn (NSWIS/photographed above) said:

 “I’ll be going for my first Para Pan Pacs team this year which is really exciting . . . it’s a really good opportunity for all of us to get a feel for the LA Games going into 2028.”

“It’s (Para Pan Pacs) a really good lead up into LA. Most of my competition is American at the moment, so it’s going to be really good to be (racing) with that competition that I’m going to be competing with in a couple years’ time.”

Commonwealth Games gold medallist and Dolphin stalwart Shayna Jack said:

“The Commonwealth Games is my absolute favourite meet and for me it’s a meet that we can see a lot of rookies coming through and it’s a meet that people can actually experience what a village life might be like or those high performance environments.”

“It (the Commonwealth Games) is crucial for the development of the sport and for the development of the athletes and so I really look forward to seeing how it goes.

“There’s so much depth in Australian swimming and I think for me it’s always exciting to get up on those blocks and just give it your all, you can only control as much as you can control.

“I have been doing this for quite a long time, and so for me it’s just about racing. I’ve done the work and see what happens on the day, because that is the reality of swimming. It comes down to the day, so I really look forward to seeing how I go and being with the girls.

“It’s quite nerve wracking because my brother (Jamie) does race before me . . . I’ll be racing the day after, so I want to still look after myself and make sure I get my spot as well as (be) watching him and supporting him but also acknowledging that this is also his moment.”

NSW Sports Minister Steve Kamper said: 

“Bringing the Australian Swimming Trials back to Sydney Olympic Park is a full circle moment, and a proud one for NSW. From household names to the next generation of champions, this is world-class swimming on one of the world’s great stages.

“And with clinics, camps and workshops running alongside the competition, the benefits of hosting this event will be felt long after the last race is swum.”

Mel Tantrum, National Head Coach Paralympic Program said: 

“We’re really excited to be here in Sydney to select three teams this week.”

“We have our Commonwealth Games team, which is an opportunity for our Paralympic and Olympic athletes to swim side by side. We’re also selecting our Para Pan Pacs team and our Pan Pacs team, both of those teams to be racing in the US in a couple of months.”

Jodie Hawkins, Executive GM of Commercial: 

“We’d like to hear the roar (at SOPAC), we are planning ahead of LA. We do know LA is going to have an incredible crowd … so for us, the next two years are about building that experience for our athletes.”

The Australian Swimming Trials will be held at SOPAC from June 8-13. Heats start 11am AEST, finals from 7:30pm AEST. All the action will be broadcasted live and free on Channel 9. The Australian Dolphin teams selected for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, Pan Pacific Championships and Para Pan Pacific Championships will be announced on pool deck after the conclusion of racing on Saturday 13 June.

The NSW Government who, through the NSW Office of Sport, are supporting the 2026 Australian Swimming Trials as well as the 2026 Australian Short Course Championships, held in late September and also at SOPAC.

Swimming Australia