Aust Age Champs: Lincoln Wearing Joins Distance Greats Kieren Perkins, Grant Hackett and Mack Horton In Age Group Who’s Who
Queensland’s teen distance destroyer Lincoln Wearing continued his march into the annals of Australia’s best age group 1500m swimmers on the Gold Coast last night.
Wearing became the fourth fastest 16-year-old over the distance on night six of the Australian Age Championships, joining a select trio of Olympic champions – Kieren Perkins, Grant Hackett and Mack Horton.
The Tsuyoshi Kimura-coached Wearing dominated from start to finish to claim his third title of the meet in his personal best time of 15:10.44 (4:01.13; 8:06.47) dropping eight seconds off his previous best, well ahead of next best Russel Pang (Singapore, 15:29.12) and his Chandler teammate Jesse Hamilton (15:42.13).
AMONG THE WHO’S WHO: Chandler’s Lincoln Wearing. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)
The time moves him into fourth behind Australia’s fastest 16-year boys over 1500m freestyle of all-time:
1.Kieren Perkins: 14:58.08
2. Grant Hackett: 15:03.67
3. Mack Horton: 15:04.87
4. Lincoln Wearing: 15:10.44
Wearing again dominating his age group freestyle events – defending the 400m (3:48.64), 800m (7:56.04) and 1500m (15:10.44) titles.
YEAH YEAH: Surrey Park’s Ishaaq Imail sets a new National Age record. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr Swimming Australia
Meanwhile Surrey Park VIC’s Ishaaq Ismail set the only National record of the night, clocking 24.80 in the boys 14 years 50m butterfly taking 0.17 off Maxwell Cunningham’s record of 24.97 set in 2024.
With fellow 14-year-old Lucy Ma (MLC Aquatic, VIC) took her gold medal tally to six, winning two golds in the 400m individual medley and the 200m backstroke.
The only swimmer to break the 5-minute mark (4:58.78) in the 400IM.
CELEBRATION TIME: For Lucy Ma. Photos Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimmig Australia)
Ma then backed up in the 200m backstroke, winning one of the closest finishes of the night, Ma touching in 2:20.14 over Carlile NSW’sCharlotte Lim (2:20.65) and Ambrose Treacy QLD’s Lauren Bethel(2:20.75) who placed second and third respectively.
Ma has swept the 200m and 400m individual medley titles, the 50m and 100m breaststroke titles and the 100m and 200m backstroke titles, adding a silver in the 200m freestyle. Ma still has the 100m freestyle remaining.
In other highlights..
SO CLOSE: Olivia Hine nudges Emily Seebohm’s National Age mark. Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)
18 Years Girls’ 50m Butterfly: Olivia Hine (Somerville House, QLD) was just 0.01 away from cracking a National age record held by four-time Olympian Emily Seebohm’s for 16 years. Hine, who trains under Tim Lane, clocked 26.09 to win the 18-year girls’ 50m butterfly, a fingernail outside of Seebohm’s record time of 26.08. Jessica Whiting(Traralgon, VIC -26.93) and Audrey Jackson (Abbotsleigh, NSW- 27.09) placed second and third respectively.
HALE THE CHAMP: Lucas Fackerell from Hale Aquatics claims his win in the 400m freestyle. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)
18 Years Boys’ 400m Freestyle: Lucas Fackerell (Hale Aquatics, WA) powered home to finish almost three seconds ahead of the field and claim his first National title of the meet. Stopping the clock at 3:53.32 from Tomo Shadforth (Miami, QLD) (3:56.21) and Noah Magoffin (Marist College Ashgrove, QLD) 3:57.78 and;
SIX OF THE BEST: No stopping Miss Molly. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)
13 Years Girls’ 400m IM: Carlile NSW’s golden girl of the meet Molly Young added the 13-years girls’ 400m individual medley bringing her medal tally to six golds. Young touched in at 5:03.52 from Hannah Fleming (Rackley, QLD) 5:07.51 with her Carlile clubmate Anna Munzarova third (5:11.29).
13 Years Boys 200IM: And then there’s Sunny Kito (Cairns Stingrays, QLD) going off after snatching his second gold of the meet, adding the 200IM to his 400IM title. Taking the 200m distance in 2:14.87 from Theo Porter (Westside Christchurch Aquatic, WA) 2:15.59 and Hunter Bastow (Chandler, QLD). Sunny by name and sunny by nature.How about this celebration in a great night of reactions captured by one of the world’s best sports photographers in Delly Carr.
Sunny Kito Celebration 1 2026 Australian Age Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)
Sunny Kito Celebration 2 2026 Australian Age Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)
Sunny Kito Celebration 3 2026 Australian Age Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)
See full results here: https://liveresults.swimming.org.au/sal/2026Age/