Australian Trials, Day 5, Finals: Australia Unearths Its Next 1500m Star With Benjamin Goedemans Producing the Swim Of His Life in 14:52.99
Australia has unearthed a rising star in 21-year-old Queenslander Benjamin Goedemans who has barnstormed his way into a second event for this year’s World Championships, producing a blistering final lap in the 1500m freestyle at the World Trials in Adelaide.
Benjamin Goedemans 2025 World Trials Photo Courtesy Delly Carr Swimming Australia
Goedemans has swum himself from relative obscurity into the top eight 1500m swimmers on the 2025 World Rankings after staging a gripping finish, almost chasing down race leader Sam Short (Rackleys, QLD).
The youngster finishing second and well under the qualifying time of 15:01.89, scaring the life out of the 2023 World Championship 1500m bronze medallist.
Short is the 10th fastest 1500m swimmer of all time with his 14:37.28 swum in 2023 and had already won the 400 and 800m freestyle at these Trials – Goedemans finishing second in the 800 to put himself on the team.
But the 1500m freestyle was the race he came for.
A month ago the 20-year-old – Dean Boxall’s latest young gun at St Peters Western – had never broken 15 minutes – coming into the Australian Championships in Brisbane with a personal best of 15:09.38.
But with hard work and belief, Goedemans put himself in the frame for further improvement after winning the Australian Open title in Brisbane in 14:57.75 – his first sub 15 swim. Coming into the World Championship Trials, Boxall’s boy most likely was unsure how he would swim or if he could improve, Boxall, telling his charge that his new pb time in fact wasn’t all that fast.
Sam Short World Trials Photo Courtesy Delly Carr Swimming Australia
And the kid produced the swim of his life – clocking 14:52.99 – a five second PB, chasing down and scaring the life out of Short, who had seemingly opened up an unassailable lead through the first 800m in 7:54.53.
Goedemans holding down second place in 7:57.62 – Short then extending his lead to over five and half seconds, sensing he was clawing back as he and Paris 10km Olympic marathon swimmer Nic Sloman (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) were dueling for the second place on the team and with 50 metres to swim, Goedemans still trailed by 3.24 seconds.
But Goedemans – saving his best till last, bringing in his six-beat kick, stormed home over the last 50m, splitting 26.63 to Short’s 29.83 – Short hanging by the skin of his teeth to take the win in 14:52.43 – and qualify for Singapore just 0.56 ahead of the rookie who will now race the biggest names in world swimming in July.
“After I did some big pbs at Nationals. I didn’t know how I was going to do any better here but Dean told me I wasn’t that fast, so that definitely helped me mentally to be able to go for it and maybe you know drop some time,” said Goedemans.
“I saved my legs till last and in the end it was just the adrenaline, telling myself I was getting closer and closer and then I started to believe maybe I could get it and then adrenalin got me to the wall. I was close but in the end I didn’t quite getting there.”
Sloman, now training under Mack Horton’s coach Craig Jackson at MSAC, hung on to post his own personal best time of 14:56.59, which will set him up for the 10km event at the World Championships.
Short admitted he didn’t expect Goedemans to catch up the way he did over the final two laps.
Saying: “I admit I did get a bit scared the last couple of laps but I felt like I was in control.”
Short has now qualified for his main event the 400m with Elijah Winnington and the 800 and 1500m with Goedemans and will relinquish his qualified spot in the individual 200m to Flynn Southam – taking his place in what will be a strong Australian 4x200m relay group.
Meanwhile in other events:
Olivia Wunsch Photo Courtesy Delly Carr Swimming Australia
PARIS teammates Mollie O’Callaghan (St Peters Western, QLD) 52.87 and Olivia Wunsch (Carlile, NSW) 53.38 overcame their own hurdles to lead the next generation of 4x100m freestylers home in the 100m freestyle final. O’Callaghan adding the 100m to the 200m and the 50 and 100m backstroke. O’Callaghan overcoming a second knee dislocation and Wunsch recovering from glandular fever – unsure whether she would swim five weeks ago.
THEN followed, Paris Olympian and 50 and 100m butterfly winner at this meet Alex Perkins (USC Spartans, QLD), 53.53; Hannah Casey (Bond, QLD) and Abbey Webb (Cruiz, ACT both 53.83 and Milla Jansen (Bond, QLD) 53.95 who will all be in the new look Aussie relay mix – following the retirements of Emma McKeon, Cate and Bronte Campbell, Madi Wilson and Brianna Throssell.
Wunsch, Casey and Jansen were all members of the Australian team that won the World Junior 4x100m freestyle gold in 2023, with Wunsch swimming in the heats of the 4x100m freestyle in Paris.
Ella Ramsay Photo Courtesy Delly Carr Swimming Australia
THE WOMEN’S 200m breaststroke saw Olympian Ella Ramsay (Griffith University, QLD) 2:23.92 and Tara Kinder (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) 2:24.61 both under the QT – Ramsay adding the event to the 100m breaststroke and the 200IM; Kinder also in the 200IM – with the 400IM to come. While Olympic gold and silver medallist from Tokyo and Paris, Zac Stubblety-Cook (Griffith University, QLD) the lone qualifier in the men’s 200m breaststroke in 2:09.09 – both Ramsay and Stubblety-Cook praising new coach Mel Marshall.
WHILE Josh Edwards Smith (Griffith University, QLD) finally cracked it for a well-deserved return to the Dolphins team winning the 200m backstroke in 1:56.94 from Paris Olympian Bradley Woodward (Mingara, NSW) in 1:57.14 – both boys under the QT of 1:57.98.