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28 March 2024

Campbell, Chalmers lead Australia Commonwealth Games swim team

Published
By AFP

Resurgent Cate Campbell, Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers and rising star Ariarne Titmus spearhead a 70-strong Australian team named Sunday for next month's Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.

Former world champion Campbell capped a triumphant return to the national team after a year's sabbatical with an Australian record-breaking 50-metre freestyle win on the final night of the selection trials.

Campbell clocked 23.79sec, 0.05sec under her previous national mark set in 2016 to add to her wins in the 100m freestyle and 50m butterfly.

"I'm really thrilled with that, a personal best is not something that comes around that often and to do it in front of a home crowd," Campbell said.

"Behind the blocks I was shaking, so this is just a little taste of what it's going to be like at Comm Games and it's going to be awesome."

Chalmers, the 100m freestyle Olympic champion from Rio, clinched the sprint double with a personal best time of 1:46.49 in winning the 200m.

Seventeen-year-old Titmus was the star of the trials when she became the first Australian woman in 14 years to win the distance freestyle treble -- 200m, 400m and 800m.

The Australian team for the home April 4-15 Commonwealth Games comprises 49 able-bodied swimmers and 21 para-sport athletes.

There are three sets of siblings, Cate and Bronte Campbell, Emma and David McKeon and Kaylee and Taylor McKeown.

Former dual world champion James Magnussen's comeback from a year off also was crowned by a top-three finish in the 50m freestyle to earn an individual swim for the Games.

Head coach Jacco Verhaeren said the national selectors had chosen the biggest Australian swim team they could for a home Games.

"I think we've got, almost without exception I'd say, the best people in their best events," Verhaeren said.

"I think that's important because if you want to defend titles and want to make the most out of the medal prospects in five weeks' time you need your best people there.

"We want a full team and we want to compete in every event for medals. It's that simple as that."

The trials marked Swimming Australia's first attempt at a qualifying meet so close to a major championship.

Australia - Jessica Ashwood, Minna Atherton, Jesse Aungles, Meg Bailey, Hayley Baker, Holly Barratt, Joshua Beaver, Emily Beecroft, Georgia Bohl, Rohan Bright, Bronte Campbell, Cate Campbell, Jack Cartwright, Kyle Chalmers, Blake Cochrane, Ellie Cole, Timothy Disken, Katherine Downie, Blair Evans, Daniel Fox, Alexander Graham, Jasmine Greenwood, Madeline Groves, Matthew Haanappel, Brenden Hall, Jessica Hansen, George Harley, Timothy Hodge, Mack Horton, Liam Hunter, Zac Incerti, Grant Irvine, Shayna Jack, Mitchell Kilduff, Mitch Larkin, Paige Leonhardt, Matthew Levy, Clyde Lewis, James Magnussen, Travis Mahoney, Ashleigh McConnell, Cameron McEvoy, James McKechnie, David McKeon, Emma McKeon, Kaylee McKeown, Taylor McKeown, Jack McLoughlin, Kiah Melverton, David Morgan, Leah Neale, Jake Packard, Lakeisha Patterson, Leiston Pickett, Logan Powell, James Roberts, Liam Schluter, Madeleine Scott, Emily Seebohm, Mikkayla Sheridan, Zac Stubblety-Cook, Laura Taylor, Tiffany Thomas Kane, Brianna Throssell, Ariarne Titmus, Ben Treffers, Tessa Wallace, Matthew Wilson, Elijah Winnington, Bradley Woodward.