Relay Record and Impressive Performances at the 2026 WA Short Course Championships

The pool is empty, but the voices from the changing room never stop echoing. At the 25m pool in Western Australia, during a weekend in August without the glare of national media, numbers were still recorded, records were still set. This is not the Olympics, nor the national Trials – but for those of us in this profession, it is precisely these state-level meets that reveal the truth about a swimming nation's depth. The 2026 WA Age & Open Short Course Championships concluded with a new relay record, a notable personal best, and a series of consistent performances from developing athletes. But the question I always ask when standing on the sidelines of such a meet is not 'who won', but 'what do these numbers really mean in the larger picture?' The Western Australia men's 4x100m freestyle relay team set a new record with a time of 3:32.66, breaking the previous record by 1.53 seconds. A significant margin at state level. But what drove that improvement? There are no split times, no data on exchange technique. I have watched enough meets to know that a relay record usually comes from a combination of good individual legs and smooth exchanges. But without detailed data, it's all speculation. Joshua Yong, a national team swimmer, set a new All-Comers & Residential Record in the 50m breaststroke with a time of 26.61, improving 0.21 seconds from his own previous record. He also won the 100m breaststroke (57.58) and 200m breaststroke. Yong's consistency across all three breaststroke distances shows a solid fitness base, but the question is whether this consistency can translate to long course – where Olympic and World Championship berths are decided. Sam Carmignani was the most notable name of the meet when he swam the 100m individual medley in 56.46, improving by more than 1 second from his previous best. A significant step forward, but is this a sign of a rising talent or just a one-off performance? I have seen too many cases of a young swimmer dropping 1 second at one meet and never repeating it. At least one more meet is needed to confirm. Brielle Dredge, a lesser-known name, won four events: 100m breaststroke (1:07.91), 200m IM (2:18.78), 200m breaststroke (2:26.37), and 50m breaststroke (31.04). Her versatility across breaststroke distances suggests a swimmer with a solid technical foundation, but her times are still far from world-class. The short course world record for the women's 100m breaststroke is around 1:02.5 – Dredge is 5 seconds behind. Iona Anderson, a 20-year-old Olympic medalist, won the 100m IM in 1:00.66. But Anderson is a backstroke specialist, not an IM specialist. This performance is a testing ground for her, not a reflection of her true standing in her primary event. What I want to emphasize here is this: we live in an era where media only cares about world records and Olympic medals. But the foundation of swimming – and of any sport – lies in state-level meets like this one. This is where young athletes gain competitive experience, where coaches assess their swimmers' progress, and where local records are set to inspire the next generation. I went to Russia to find answers about the presence of women in football, and I only found more questions. Likewise, I look at the numbers from this meet and ask: are we too focused on comparing short course times with long course, while missing the real value of these meets – the development of athletes? The 3:32.66 relay record for Western Australia is a proud achievement at state level. But it means nothing on the international stage. Joshua Yong's 50m breaststroke record is a good personal step, but he is still far from the world's best. And Sam Carmignani's performance, while impressive, still needs confirmation at subsequent meets. Where are the women? They are right there in the pool, in the changing room. Brielle Dredge swam four events and won all four. That is a commendable performance, yet she has not been mentioned on any national media outlet. This is the familiar story of women's sports – notable achievements being ignored simply because they don't happen on the big stage. When there is no audience, we truly listen to the athletes. And when there is no media spotlight, we see the real value of state-level meets – where records are set, personal bests are broken, and long journeys begin. The 2026 WA Short Course Championships did not change the landscape of world swimming. But it reminds us that behind every Olympic medal are thousands of state-level meets, thousands of 5am training sessions, and thousands of untold stories. And that is where I want to ask the next question: how are we tracking these athletes on their long journey?