Australian Trials, Day 1 Prelims: Alex Perkins’ Flying Start In 100 Fly With World Championship Qualifier of 56.78
Queensland rising star Alex Perkins has given the 2025 Australian Swimming Trials a flying start in Adelaide today, with a World Championship qualifier and a personal best time of 56.78 , the women’s 100m butterfly – the first preliminary heat of the opening session.
It was Perkins’ her first time under 57 seconds, the fifth fastest time in the world for 2025 and the fifth fastest time by an Australian. She’s the sixth Australian under 57 seconds and is well under the World Championship qualifying time for Singapore of 57.90.
Only Emma McKeon (55.72), Jessicah Schipper (56.23), Libby Trickett (56.73) and Brianna Throssell (56.77) have swum faster than 24-year-old Perkins (USC Spartans, QLD).
The second fastest qualifier, Lily Price (Rackley, QLD), also clocked a World Championship qualifying time of 57.78, with Paris Olympian Olivia Wunsch (Carlile, NSW) returning to competition from glandular fever the third fastest in 58.50.
The Top five in the world for 2025 are: Gretchen Walsh (USA) 56.60, Angelina Kohler (GER) 56.42, Torri Huske (USA) 56.59, Mizuki Kirai (JPN) 56.74, Alex Perkins (AUS) 56.78 and Regan Smith (USA) 56.85.
The men’s 400m freestyle heats saw Paris Olympian and 2023 world champion Sam Short (Rackley, QLD) continue his return to competition in 2025, clocking the second fastest time of the year in the 400m freestyle, clocking a time of 3:43.21 – beaten only bye Lukas Martens’ world record of 3:39.96 – a time that would have won him the US Nationals.
Event 1 Women 13 & Over 100 LC Metre Butterfly
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World: W 54.60 3/05/2025 GRETCHEN WALSH, USA
Commonwealth: C 55.59 27/07/2021MARGARET MACNEIL, CAN
Australian: A 55.72 27/07/2021EMMA MCKEON, GRIFFITH UNI
Allcomers: ! 55.93 12/06/2021EMMA MCKEON, GRIFFITH UNI
SA QT: Q 57.90
=== Preliminaries ===
1 PERKINS, ALEXANDRIA 24 USCSPARTANS QLD 56.78Q
26.55 56.78 (30.23)
2 PRICE, LILY 22 RACKLEY QLD 57.78Q
26.66 57.78 (31.12)
3 WUNSCH, OLIVIA 19 CARLILE NSW 58.50
27.30 58.50 (31.20)
4 GRANT, BELLA 20 TRINITY GRAMMAR 58.54
27.70 58.54 (30.84)
5 DEKKERS, ELIZABETH 21 ST PETERS QLD 58.65
27.70 58.65 (30.95)
6 CASTELLUZZO, BRITTANY 24 TEA TREE GULLY SA 58.67
= 27.70 58.67 (30.97)
7 CONNOR, ABBEY 20 USCSPARTRANS QLD 58.79
27.43 58.79 (31.36)
8 CRIMMINS, JOSEPHINE 20 SOMERSET QLD 58.92
27.34 58.92 (31.58)
AUSTRALIAN ALL-TIME TOP TEN
100 Metres Butterfly (World Record 54.60 Gretchen Walsh)
55.72 Emma McKeon, Tokyo 26.07.21
56.23 Jessicah Schipper, Rome 27.07.09
56.73 Lisbeth Trickett, Beijing 11.08.08
56.77 Brianna Throssell, Gold Coast 17.04.24
56.78 Alex Perkins Adelaide 9.06.25
56.85 Alicia Coutts, London 28.07.12
57.08 Madeline Groves, Adelaide 08.04.16
57.36 Petria Thomas 1975 Sydney 28.03.04
57.60 Felicity Galvez 1985 Barcelona 10.06.08
57.67 Stephanie Rice 1988 Sydney 20.03.09
Women’s 400 freestyle
Paris Olympic 4x200m freestyle relay gold medallist and 2023 World Short Course champion Lani Pallister, now at St Peters Western, QLD under new coach Dean B0xall, coasted into tonight’s final, under the World Championship qualifying time with her 4:05.63. SPW teammate and Olympic finalist Jamie Perkins was second fastest in 4:10.66, and Amelia Weber was third in 4:10.98.
Event 6 Women 13 & Over 400 LC Metre Freestyle
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World: 3:54.18 07/06/2025 SUMMER MCINTOSH, CAN
Commonwealth: 3:54.18 07/06/2025 SUMMER MCINTOSH, CAN
Australian: 3:55.38 23/07/2023ARIARNE TITMUS, AUS
All-comers: 3:55.44 10/06/2024ARIARNE TITMUS, SPW
SA QT: Q 4:10.23
=== Preliminaries ===
1 PALLISTER, LANI 23 STPETERS QLD 4:05.63Q
27.61 57.48 (29.87)
1:27.87 (30.39) 1:58.65 (30.78)
2:30.35 (31.70) 3:02.40 (32.05)
3:34.09 (31.69) 4:05.63 (31.54)
2 PERKINS, JAMIE 20 STPETERS QLD 4:10.66
28.06 59.10 (31.04)
1:30.49 (31.39) 2:02.16 (31.67)
2:34.40 (32.24) 3:06.70 (32.30)
3:38.98 (32.28) 4:10.66 (31.68)
3 WEBER, AMELIA 19 STPETERS QLD 4:10.98
28.11 59.05 (30.94)
1:30.41 (31.36) 2:02.42 (32.01)
2:33.56 (31.14) 3:06.07 (32.51)
3:38.23 (32.16) 4:10.98 (32.75)
4 WALKER, MOLLY 19 SOPE 4:11.86
28.86 59.59 (30.73)
1:31.63 (32.04) 2:03.43 (31.80)
2:35.62 (32.19) 3:07.77 (32.15)
3:40.36 (32.59) 4:11.86 (31.50)
5 NEALE, LEAH 29 RACKLEY QLD 4:13.25
28.59 1:00.41 (31.82)
1:32.01 (31.60) 2:04.39 (32.38)
2:36.46 (32.07) 3:08.93 (32.47)
3:41.29 (32.36) 4:13.25 (31.96)
6 KRITZINGER, TIANA 20 RACKLEY QLD 4:14.50
29.77 1:01.06 (31.29)
1:33.04 (31.98) 2:05.41 (32.37)
2:37.82 (32.41) 3:10.38 (32.56)
3:42.83 (32.45) 4:14.50 (31.67)
7 DAVISON-MCGOVERN, JAC 21 STPETERS QLD 4:14.52
29.18 1:00.72 (31.54)
1:32.84 (32.12) 2:05.69 (32.85)
2:38.02 (32.33) 3:10.82 (32.80)
3:43.23 (32.41) 4:14.52 (31.29)
8 ALLEN, HANNAH 18 RACKLEY QLD 4:15.14
29.30 1:00.95 (31.65)
1:32.78 (31.83) 2:05.29 (32.51)
2:37.57 (32.28) 3:10.66 (33.09)
3:43.24 (32.58) 4:15.14 (31.90)
Women’s 200 individual medley
The women’s 200IM saw Paris Olympian Ella Ramsay (Griffth, QLD) look very much in the zone, also clocking a World Championship qualifying time of 2:11.22 to lead the top eight into tonight’s final.
Event 4 Women 13 & Over 200 LC Metre IM
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World: W 2:06.12 3/08/2015 KATINKA HOSSZU, HUN
Commonwealth: C 2:06.56 3/08/2024 SUMMER MCINTOSH, CAN
Australian: A 2:06.63 10/06/2024KAYLEE MCKEOWN, GUSC
Allcomers: ! 2:06.63 10/06/2024KAYLEE MCKEOWN, GUSC
SA QT: Q 2:11.96
=== Preliminaries ===
1 RAMSAY, ELLA 20 GRIFFITH, QLD 2:11.22Q
28.26 1:01.59 (33.33)
1:38.70 (37.11) 2:11.22 (32.52)
2 FORRESTER, JENNA 21 STPETERS, QLD 2:13.48
28.49 1:01.70 (33.21)
1:41.30 (39.60) 2:13.48 (32.18)
3 BOYD, ISABELLA 19 NUNAWADING, VIC 2:13.96
28.49 1:03.09 (34.60)
1:41.88 (38.79) 2:13.96 (32.08)
4 HARDY, KAYLA 22 CRUIZ, ACT 2:14.05
28.50 1:02.55 (34.05)
1:41.24 (38.69) 2:14.05 (32.81)
5 KINDER, TARA 22 MELB VICENTRE, VIC 2:15.80
28.55 1:03.08 (34.53)
1:42.51 (39.43) 2:15.80 (33.29)
6 SMITH, AMELIE 16 ROCKY CITY, QLD 2:16.97
29.07 1:05.80 (36.73)
1:44.31 (38.51) 2:16.97 (32.66)
7 ASQUITH, PIPER 17 GRIFFITH, QLD 2:17.87
29.20 1:05.71 (36.51)
1:46.23 (40.52) 2:17.87 (31.64)
8 HARRISON, LEXI 22 MANLY, NSW 2:18.07
29.93 1:04.98 (35.05)
1:45.56 (40.58) 2:18.07 (32.51)
The heats of the men’s 100m freestyle saw sixth seeded Nash Wilkes (Griffith, QLD) from Gold Coast rise to the top spot for the final, clocking a personal best time of 1:00.37. He will be joined by Griffith club mates, 2020 Olympic gold medallist Zac Stubblety-Cook (1:01.26) and Haig Buckingham (1:01.39) – all coached by Adam Peaty’s former coach Mel Marshall.
More To Come…
Great heat swim by Perkins but it is the fifth fastest time by an Australian. McKeon, Schipper, Trickett and Throssell ahead of her for now!