In the wake of the 2022 Australia Short Course Swimming Championships, Swimming Australia has released its roster for the 2022 World Short Course Swimming Championships. Australia will send 36 swimmers to the meet, which is occurring on home soil in Melbourne from December 13 – 18, 2022.
The majority of Australia’s heavy hitters will be in on the action at Short Course Worlds later this year including Olympic gold medalists Emma McKeon, Kaylee McKeown, and Kyle Chalmers.
Of this team, Swimming Australia CEO Eugénie Buckley offered the following comments:
You only have to look at the reception our Dolphins received in Sydney last week, and the subsequent boost that passion and engagement from the fans gave them, to know how special it is to compete here in Australia,” Buckley said.
“These opportunities are few and far between in an athlete’s career and we are delighted to see this group, via their performances, take that chance with both hands. I have no doubt they will represent themselves, and our country, with pride.”
“This is a world class team set to face some of international swimming’s premier short course athletes right here in our own backyard, and I can’t think of a better way for our swimming family, and sporting fans more broadly, to finish the year than to be pool side in Melbourne cheering our Dolphins on.”
The 2022 edition will be a return for Swimming Australia to this meet after the nation opted out in 2021. While the federation didn’t send an official contingent to the meet, Holly Barratt entered and raced for the country in Abu Dhabi. In 2018, the last time Australia sent a team to Short Course Worlds, they finished 7th overall on the medal table with 2 gold, 2 silver, and 8 bronze medals.
It will be interesting to see how Australia fares in 2022 considering that the four years since 2018 has featured the rise of many of its current stars. Emma McKeon, Kaylee McKeown, Brendon Smith, Meg Harris, Mollie O’Callaghan, Se-Bom Lee, and Leah Neale are some of those swimmers who have risen in the international ranks over that time period and will be looking to disrupt the Short Course World scene.
Other Australian stars who will be in on the action include 2018 medalist Minna Atherton, 2016 Olympic gold medalist Kyle Chalmers, and 2016 gold medalist Mack Horton.
This team will also introduce 9 new swimmers to Australia’s senior international roster in Brittany Castelluzzo, Shaun Champion, Alexander Grant, Kayla Hardy, Ty Hartwell, Emilie Muir, Jamie Perkins, Mikayla Smith, and Stuart Swinburn.
Australian Roster – 2022 World Short Course Swimming Championships
Australian Dolphins Rookie
Notably, the majority of Australia’s individual medalists from the 2018 meet, including Alexander Graham, Mitch Larkin, Thomas Fraser-Holmes, Ariarne Titmus, Holly Barratt, Emily Seebohm, and Jessica Hansen won’t be back to race four years later.
One of the biggest names who is absent from the roster is double Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus who opted out of the qualifying meet. Titmus was also absent from the 2022 World Championships in Budapest. She made her sole high-level appearance at the Commonwealth Games where she won gold in the 200, 400, and 800 freestyle, as well as the 4×200 freestyle in world record-breaking time.
Other Olympic medalists who won’t race include Cate and Bronte Campbell, Jack McLoughlin, who recently announced his retirement from the sport, 200 breaststroke gold medalist Zac Stubblety-Cook, Alexander Graham, Emily Seebohm, and Tamsin Cook.
One other interesting omission is Cody Simpson who recently made his senior international debut at the Commonwealth Games. He followed that up with a victory at the 2022 Australia Short Course Swimming Championships in the 100 IM (American Grant House was the fastest but Simpson was the top Australian) with a 52.67. That time was under the “A” cut for the meet of 52.98 but Simpson won’t race for the Dolphins in Melbourne.
In This Story
Alexander GrahamAlexander GrahamAriarne TitmusAriarne TitmusBrendon SmithBrendon SmithBronte CampbellBronte CampbellClyde LewisClyde LewisCody SimpsonCody SimpsonEmily SeebohmEmily SeebohmEmma McKeonEmma McKeonGrant HouseGrant HouseHolly BarrattHolly BarrattJack McLoughlinJack McLoughlinJessica HansenJessica HansenKaylee McKeownKaylee McKeownKyle ChalmersKyle ChalmersLeah NealeLeah NealeMack HortonMack HortonMinna AthertonMinna AthertonMitch LarkinMitch LarkinMollie O’CallaghanMollie O’CallaghanTamsin CookTamsin CookThomas Fraser-HolmesThomas Fraser-HolmesZac Stubblety-CookZac Stubblety-Cook