Commonwealth Games: Flynn Southam Blazes 47.09 Leadoff, Australia Dominates Men’s 400 Free Relay; Two Games Records
Thanks to the heroics of Kyle Chalmers on the anchor leg, Australia has captured world titles in the men’s 400 freestyle relay in 2023 and 2025. At the Commonwealth Games, the Aussie men were expected to dominate the field in the final event of night one, and the quartet of Flynn Southam, Kai Taylor, Harrison Turner and Chalmers indeed came through to win by more than a second.
In the process, Southam solidified himself as a sprint star. The 21-year-old has been part of this relay the last three years, and he entered with a best time, but he annihilated that mark while putting Australia’s challengers out of range from the start. Southam touched in 47.09, knocking off the Games record of 47.36 set by Chalmers in 2022.
Moreover, Southam’s time made him the second-fastest 100 freestyler in the world this year behind Russian Egor Kornev, and he became the 11th-fastest performer in history and fourth-best Australian behind Cam McEvoy, Eamon Sullivan and Chalmers. He sits only five hundredths behind McEvoy’s decade-old Oceanic record, with a real chance at breaking that mark in individual competition in Glasgow or at the upcoming Pan Pacific Championships.
Southam’s teammates also came through with fine swims. Taylor split 47.53 before Turner went 47.94. Chalmers pulled away with his 46.93, four tenths slower than he swam on last year’s world-title-winning relay, but it did not matter with the Dolphins fully in control of the race. Australia’s final time was 3:09.49, obliterating the previous Games record of 3:11.12 set in 2022. The team went slower than last year’s time of 3:08.97 but still quicker than second-place Italy swam that day in Singapore.
The Australian team will race again at Pan Pacs, but Chalmers will skip that meet, which will hurt the team’s ambitions in another showdown against the United States. Still, the Americans and other top sprint nations will be well aware of the Aussies’ capabilities when the full-strength group reassembles at next year’s World Championships in Budapest.
In the battle behind the clear winners, England took control of the battle for silver. Jacob Mills and James Guy handled the first two legs before Gabriel Shepherd and Jacob Whittle swam 47s to finish out the event. England came in at 3:11.69, two seconds clear of any other team. Bronze went to South Africa’s Pieter Coetze, Guy Brooks, Ruard van Renen and Chad le Clos in 3:13.99. The 34-year-old le Clos, competing in his fifth Commonwealth Games, secured his 19th overall medal at the competition.
The best non-Australian split belonged to Duncan Scott, who went 47.48 on the second leg for Scotland. Scott previously won gold in the 200 IM earlier in the night. Also of note was Canada’s Josh Liendo, who led off in 48.13.
