Aust Age: Can Rockhampton Teenager Amelie Smith Break Into Australia’s Commonwealth Games Team for Glasgow?
Multi-talented Aussie teen Amelie Smith has her sights set on breaking onto the Australian Dolphins team for this year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow after winning her fourth gold medal on night four of the Australian Age Championships on the Gold Coast.
ON THE MOVE:Rocky City’s Amelie Smith Photo Courtesy Elsa Lindberg (Swimming Australia)
The Central Queensland 18-year-old, representing Rocky City Swim Club in Rockhampton, continued her domination of the 17-18 years age group, winning the 1500m freestyle in 16:52.31 at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre.
Last year’s five-time Age champion is tracking on the same trajectory, already winning the 200IM, 400m freestyle, 200m butterfly and 1500m freestyle.
But it’s today’s 400IM that could well set up her Games goal for the June Trials in Sydney.
“My main goal for this year is to make the Commonwealth Games team for the 400IM … that’s what I’ll be targeting at (Australian) Trials in June,” said Smith, who is coached by renown Rocky City Head Coach Shane Kingston.
KEY STROKE: Amelie Smith showing her breaststroke prowess. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)
Smith was fifth in last year’s World Trials, won by World Championship silver medallist Jenna Forrester (St Peters Western) who also holds the 18 years Australian record of 4:36.77, with the Australian All-Comers record set 26 years ago at the Sydney 2000 Olympics by Ukrainian legend Yana Klochkova at 4:33.58.
Forrester, her Paris teammate Ella Ramsay,Victoria’s World Championship team member from 2025, Tara Kinder (Melbourne Vicentre) and the ACT’s Kayla Hardy (Cruiz) are the major players in the 400IM.
The versatile, high performer also producing a breakthrough Australian Short Course meet last October, where she won the 400IM in 4:36.67 , also winning the 200m breaststroke in 2:24.75 and placing second in the 1500m freestyle in 16:17.78.
A member of the Australian team at Junior Worlds in Romania, last year Smith finished eighth in the final in 4:44.62, saying the international experience had made her “a smarter racer.”
WA pair Delta Cross (Highlanders) (17:02.13, and Eleanor Flowers (North Coast) (17:10.72, finished second and third respectively in last night’s 1500m final.
Flowers won the 5 and 10km events at the Australian Open Water Championships in January and has already claimed her spot on the Australian Junior Dolphins team to compete at the World Aquatics Junior Open Water Championships in Santa Fe, Argentina (September 3-6).
Toowoomba QLD’s Bryce Krause continued his standout meet by claiming former world champion and dual Olympian Isaac Cooper’s 15-year-old boys’ 50m backstroke National age record of 25.80.
Fresh from a 100m backstroke win, Krause ripped a 25.73 to lead Queensland to victory in the Mixed 15-16 Years 4x50m medley relay.
TOOWOOMBA GOLD: Bryce Krause launches another record swim.Photo Courtesy Swimming Australia..
The boy from Fairholme, coached by Micheal Wise, now simultaneously holds the 13, 14 and 15-years boys’ Australian Age records for the 50m backstroke.
The Queensland relay foursome of Krause, Somerset breaststroker Lenny Grigor (27.57); Newmarket Racers butterflyer, Caitlyn Haynes (27.36) and Griffith freestyler Maya Zunker (24.80) all brought their A games for the Maroons, setting a new Australian record of 1:45.46.
In the 15 Year Boys’ 100m backstroke final, Krause claimed gold in a time of 56.85 that was one second outside the all-time National Age record set by 2022 Commonwealth Games representative Josh Edwards-Smith in 2019.
Thomas Symonds (Somerville House, QLD) 57.20, placed second, with Timothy Wellm (Lawrence, NSW) third in 57.70.
MA GOODNESS: Lucy Ma wins fourth gold at the 2026 Australian Age Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)
With Lucy Ma (MLC Aquatic, VIC) securing her fourth National title of the meet, adding the 14 Years Girls’ 200m Individual Medley, to the 100m breaststroke, 100m backstroke and 50m breaststroke – stopping the clock in the IM at 2:18.28 to win by over two seconds. In a tight battle for the minor medals, Roxanne Albertyn (Miami, QLD) in 2:20.40, claimed silver by just 0.06 seconds ahead of Charlotte Lim (Carlile, NSW) 2:20.46. Albertyn winning the 50m freestyle in 26.18.
With Zoe Ammundsen (Nudgee, QLD) winning a classic down to the wire 18-years 200m backstroke final in 2:13.14, holidng off Griffth, QLD pair Isabel Sheldrick (2:13.88) and Ivy Miller (2:13.40).
While Victorian rising star, Ishaaq Ismail (Surrey Park, VIC) and Lewis Jewel (City of Sydney, NSW) each took their tallies to three gold.
THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT: Ishaaq Ismail (Surrey Park, VIC) celebrating his third gold in the 50m butterfly. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
Ismail adding the 14 years 50m butterfly (27.48) to his gold medals in the 100m freestyle (52.20) and 100m butterfly 55.01) and silver in the 200m freestyle (1:55.72).
And Jewel completing his treble in the 13-Years 100m freestyle in 54.07 after winning the 100m butterfly in 58.00 and the 200m freestyle in 1:57.94.
Newmarket Racers, QLD Lilla Ribot-De- Bresac adding the 16-years 50m breaststroke in an eye-catching pb of 31.20, to her outstanding 200m breaststroke win in 2:26.06.
Earlier in the meet Lilla anchored the Queensland team to victory in the 15/16 Years State 4x50m freestyle relay anchoring the team home in 25.64, after Ava Camenzuli started in 26.49, followed by Mena Bertinato (25.28) and Charlotte Morgans (25.85) – the Maroons clocking a National record of 1:43.26.
NEWMARKET’S TOP RACER: Lilla Ribot-De-Bresac completes a breaststroke double. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)
Lilla, the breaststroking freestyler, certainly one to watch.
Also impressive were Chelsea Strachan (Somerset, QLD) in the 15 Years 400IM in 4:58.79; Ciara Nixon (Corrimal, NSW) in the 13 years 200IM in 2:22.70, followed by her silver to Amayah Hill (St Peters, QLD) in the 50m freestyle – Hill winning in 26.47 from Nixon (26.50) and Zoe Cleminson(Melbourne, VIC) 26.92.
In other highlights….
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TIGHT TIMES FOR THOMAS: Thomas Bridie (St Peters Western, QLD) wins in a photo. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
15 Years Boys’ 400m Freestyle: Just 0.04 seconds separated first and second in a thrilling 400m freestyle final. Thomas Bridie (St Peters Western, QLD) took the gold in 4:01.14, narrowly ahead of William Ison (Nepean, NSW) 4:01.18) with Kawana Waters QLD’s Cooper Kay third in 4:02.55 – 1.41 between the top three.
16 Years Boys’ 400m Freestyle: Distance prodigy Lincoln Wearing delivered another dominant performance in the 16 years boys’ 400m freestyle final, after his National record breaking 800m freestyle earlier in the meet.
The boy from Chandler, QLD smashing out a solid 3:48.64 to finish almost five seconds clear of the field. Nudgee College QLD’s Daniel Van Luik (3:53.59) placed second ahead of Singaporean visitor Russel Pang (3:55.20) with Jesse Hamilton (Chandler) 3:57.06) picking up a bronze as the third Australian home.
NOISE WORKS: MLC AQUATIC making some noise. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
See full results: https://liveresults.swimming.org.au/sal/2026Age/