Aussie Trials, Day 5 Finals: Sam Short Seals Rare 200, 400, 800 and 1500m Freestyle Sweep In Sydney
Queensland’s fearless freestyler Sam Short has joined swimming royalty after his never-say-die victory in the men’s 1500m freestyle at the Australian Selection Trials and National Championships in Sydney tonight.
The Paris Olympian and 2023 world champion over 400m, sealed the rare sweep for the first time in 21 years.
The 22-year-old set out on his mission of “go hard or go home” in the 1500m – desperate to see how long he could hang on in the toughest of pool events over 30 laps at breakneck pace, clocking 14:42.09 – the fourth fastest time in the world this year.
The boy from Rackley Swimming, dragging St Peters Western pair Matt Galea and Ben Goedeman along for the ride – both boys swimming personal bests, Galea 14:50.22 and Goedemans 14.50.67 – and both under the Swimming Australia qualifying times for the Commonwealth Games and Poan Pacs.
Galea, who moved from Sydney to Dean Boxall’s St Peters Western super squad last year, has jumped from outside the Australian all-time top ten to No 6 all time, with Goedemans now 7th – Glen Housman’s ill-fated (hand held time of) 14:53.59 when the touch pad failed Adelaide in 1989 dropping out of the Top Ten.
Short turned the 800m mark in 7:42.70 – over two-and-a-half seconds under world record pace.
Only dropping off around the 1000m mark before clocking the fastest time he has swum in Australia – five seconds outside his best time of 14:37.28 at the World’s in Fukuoka in 2023.
And 12 seconds shy of American Bobby Fink’s world record of 14:30.67, set at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
But that said and done, it was a mighty effort from Short, capping off the most successful National Championships of his career.
It saw him reach rare air in winning those four titles, the 200, the 400 and the 800m all in personal best times – clocking two pbs in the 200m in the heat and the final.
This is how Short’s week panned out:
Day I: 1st 400m freestyle – 3:40.67pb
Day 2: 1st 200m freestyle (heat) 1:45.52pb; (final) 1:45.16pb
Day 3: 1st 800m freestyle (final) 7:36.73pn Commonwealth Record. Textile suit WR
Day 4: Rest Day
Day 5: 1st 1500m 14:42.09
Becoming the first swimmer to win all four events at one Nationals since two-time Olympic 1500m champion Grant Hackett in 2005 – also joining Justin Lemberg (1984) who achieved the same feat at the LA Olympic Trials in Brisbane and John Konrads (1959) who, at 16 actually went one better than Short, Hackett and Lemberg.
Coached by the legendary Don Talbot, Konrads won all five Australian freestyle championships in 1959, swimming outdoors in Hobart, over the old imperial distances.
Konrads winning the 110, 220, 440, 880 and 1650 yards freestyles – out-touching 1956 Olympic silver medallist John Devitt in the 110 yards.
And there is one thing about Sam Short he will never die wondering.
“It hurt so bad that last 500m..I felt like getting take out, when the race was done to be honest,” said Short.
“I felt that bad…but I told myself ‘just keep going till the end’ and as it was that’s the fastest time I’m swum domestically by a country mile.
“And I remember reading a couple of years ago, people saying Australian distance swimming had really fallen off since the days of Perkins, Hackett and Housman and those two boys who finished second and third tonight – Matt Galea and Ben Goedemans would have beaten Kieren for the silver medal in the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
“It’s just awesome to be here with them and I’d like them to take Ben the Commonwealth Games as well, I reckon we could collect the sweep in the 1500m in Glasgow ..that would be awesome.”
Short praising his team, saying: ”I’ve have trained the best I’ve ever trained… it’s been a really hard week and I couldn’t have done it without my coaching team, led by Damien Jones…backing up from the 1:45 in the 200 all the way to 14:42..I didn’t think that was going to happen…
“Meg Harris (fellow Rackley swimmer) started the night with a 52 second in the 100m freestyle I was pretty pumped…and with my caffeine was peaking in marshalling room I couldn’t sit still.
“I just like racing..I can’t wait to represent my country….I reckon all of us will smash up our pbs in a couple of week’s time.”