After topping the medal tally in Dubai 2013, the 30-strong Australian World Junior team have settled into Singapore and are preparing to race the best young swimmers from all over the world at the 5th Junior World Championships.
This year the competition will see the rising stars unite to race from Tuesday 25 to Sunday 30 August and will be the fourth time Australia has sent a team to compete.
The Championships, which first began in 2006, in Rio de Janeiro, are held every two years and allow age group swimmers to develop international race skills and gain valuable elite level experience that mirrors the senior competition.
Swimming Australia Performance Pathways Manager, Jamie Salter said: “We have a good balance of new talent and experienced swimmers on the team who are excited to perform on the world stage.
“For some this will be their first experience of an international meet so it will be a great opportunity to race against other international swimmers and learn what it is like to compete on the world stage.”
One of those swimmers who has already had a taste of the Dolphins is Kyle Chalmers. After returning from Kazan just over a week ago, silver medallist from the 2015 FINA World Championships Chalmers will headline the Aussie team as one of the ‘ones to watch’ on the international stage.
After making his senior team debut at just 17-years-of-age, Chalmers impressed at the international level, maintaining his composure to split a 47.92 in the heats of the 4x100m freestyle relay heats and a 47.86 in the 4x100m medley heats; winning a silver medal for his efforts in the medley relay heat.
Chalmers will follow in the footsteps of a number of our current Dolphins that previously competed at a World Junior Championship event, including; Tommaso D’Orsogna, Grant Irvine, Ben Treffers, Joshua Beaver, Cameron McEvoy, Bronte Campbell, Brianna Throssell, Taylor McKeown, and Mack Horton.
In Singapore, Chalmers will take on more of a leadership role on the junior team and be looking to continue his run of success from Russia.
The South Australian, coached by Shelly Jarrett will also up the ante in his racing schedule, taking on two individual races; the 50 and 100m freestyle with relays also on the cards for the talented teen.
Joining Chalmers is a host of impressive young swimmers including Australian Age Group Champion and record holder Matthew Wilson (SOPAC).
Sixteen-year-old Wilson is moving his way up the domestic breaststroke ranks and currently holds the 14, 15 and 16 years Australian age group records for the 100 and 200m breaststroke events.
Currently living in the Blue Mountains and driving into training at Sydney Olympic Park daily, Wilson’s commitment and dedication are starting to pay off and he will no doubt be keen to prove his potential on the international stage when he takes on the 50, 100 and 200m breaststroke.
In the women’s sprint freestyle, 16-year-old Shayna Jack will be looking to emulate the success of dual World Champion Bronte Campbell who in 2011 won gold in the 50m freestyle at the World Junior Championships.
Jack will be racing at her second World Junior Championships after competing in Dubai at the 2013 event where she finished with a bronze medal in the 100m free and will this year take on the 50, 100 and 200m freestyle events as well as the 50m backstroke.
Swimming Australia Gold Coast Gold Coach Glenn Beringen said, “The World Junior team took a lot of confidence form the Senior Team’s ability to hit their peak performance at the Senior World Championships in Kazan. We will be looking to carry on the momentum through Singapore and into the Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa as well.
“The World Junior Championships is a fantastic chance for Australia’s emerging junior swimmers to develop their race skills in a professional environment. The swimmers are adjusting well to Singapore and I am looking forward to seeing them race.”
Swimming Australia would like to recognise and thank the ACGA for the support provided for our Youth Development programs.
The 2015 FINA World Junior Championship team will compete in Singapore from August 25 to 30 with the Australian Junior Commonwealth Games taking place in Samoa from September 5 to 12.
2015 FINA World Juniors Team
| First Name | Last Name | Age | Club | State |
| Male Athletes | ||||
| Grayson | Bell | 18 | TSS Aquatics | QLD |
| Jack | Cartwright | 16 | St Peters Western | QLD |
| Kyle | Chalmers | 16 | Marion | SA |
| Vincent | Dai | 17 | Cherrybrook Carlile | NSW |
| Mitchell | Davenport-Wright | 17 | Melbourne Vicentre | VIC |
| Damian | Fyfe | 17 | West Coast | WA |
| Bowen | Gough | 16 | Nunawading | VIC |
| Nicholas | Groenewald | 17 | Nunawading | VIC |
| Clyde | Lewis | 17 | Brothers | QLD |
| Tristan | Ludlow | 17 | St Peters Western | QLD |
| Brayden | McCarthy | 17 | Palm Beach Currumbin | QLD |
| Joshua | Parrish | 17 | TSS Aquatics | QLD |
| Dominic | Richardson | 17 | TSS Aquatics | QLD |
| Callum | Sherington | 17 | Carlile | NSW |
| Jacob | Vincent | 16 | Miami | QLD |
| Matthew | Wilson | 16 | SOPAC | NSW |
| Bradley | Woodward | 16 | Mingara | NSW |
| Samuel | Young | 17 | East Brisbane | QLD |
| Female Athletes | ||||
| Minna | Atherton | 14 | Brisbane Grammar | QLD |
| Ella | Bond | 17 | Marion | SA |
| Tamsin | Cook | 16 | West Coast | WA |
| Gemma | Cooney | 15 | River City Rapids | QLD |
| Shanella | Gee | 16 | St Peters Western | QLD |
| Shayna | Jack | 16 | Chandler | QLD |
| Lucia | Lassman | 17 | Miami | QLD |
| Lucy | McJannett | 17 | Bayside | NSW |
| Mikayla | Messer | 15 | Chandler | QLD |
| Calypso | Sheridan | 16 | Brisbane Grammar | QLD |
| Ariarne | Titmus | 14 | Launceston | TAS |
| Elyse | Woods | 16 | Melbourne Vicentre | VIC |
Swimming news courtesy of Swimming Australia.
sg_swimmingGreat news for all swimming fans!
The 5th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships will be streamed live on FINAtv. #FINAWORLDJrSG #SwimWithUs
https://instagram.com/p/6wkuB3pQ-s/
Is it revisionist history in recalling that the Aussies led the medal count in 2013? I seem to recall that the US led the medal count.
You could go check & perhaps correct the statement .I try to forget the junior results unless they go on to further successes.
Australia won one more gold so they won the meet. That’s not the standard (most golds) that we use but everyone else does.
Australia won.You can see for yourself:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_FINA_World_Junior_Swimming_Championships
The article claims that Australia won the medal count which in I my interpretation is that the word medals = Gold + silver + bronze. No, I would agree with the statement if it said they would like to repeat as the leader in golds from 2013. The USA was crowned champions by FINA so I prefer to take that as the bigger and more meaningful result.
That is ok but remember USA 310 million ppl + summer . Australia 23 million ppl + winter . Kids had to take 3 weeks out of school & their winter programs .
It Would be a monster jump to get from world juniors to qualifying to Rio in April – basically they have one summer block.
Kyle , Matt Wilson & Tamsin Cook have real Olympic hopes . I like Cook ‘s chances though I do not think she will be winning here . Would anybody cut into their programe to win at WJ when an olympic spot is calling?
There is also another group of juniors just behind these who have been here sent off to Comm Games Juniors .
“Commonwealth Youth Games”……. ROFLMAO
The senior version are enough of a farce already without having its own “Mini Me” !!
OK, on reflection they AREN’T a complete farce, Indeed in a couple of (non-Olympic) sports they are an alternate World Championships & a reasonable quality competition in a couple of others but where swimming & some other sports are concerned, AUS would be better served prioritising elsewhere.
I am not going to argue about The Commonwealth Games but the 2014 competitors went on to some 35 medals at Kazan .
The Junior Comm Games are for smaller nations & cities to have the opportunity ity to host a multi event sport festival covering swimming athletics archery boxing weightlifting rugby 7s squash tennis & bowls . This time it is Samoa , last time the Isle of Man & next in the Carribean .. Now tell me which Kid from the 2.2 billion ppl in the commonwealth would not want to go to an island in the Pacific or Carribean for sport ?
The only impact it has for Australia this year is splitting the juniors… Read more »
Nice points, Gina and I will acknowledge that for the bulk of the competitors, this would be the pinnacle of their careers. Mind you, the previous YCG was on the Isle of Man so not always the sunny tropical destination !
The counter-argument is that the federations of most countries aren’t exactly blessed with full financial coffers with international competitions a major squeeze. Just not sure whether it really stacks up as a significant priority. For some, the ledger tips “Yes”, for others far less clear cut.
I think they get financial assistance . There is a limit of 1000 competitors . I shall take a look & see who is there in Sept . I agree for many this will be their biggest sporting achievement But that it’s not a bad way to end .
Other than that it is my civic duty to give some of these places , like Canada , a 2nd thought per year .
I think Chalmers will be under 48 next year but probably Rio is coming a little bit too early.
He might allready get close to the 48.00 next week !
On what grounds, Bobo ? For all the hoohaa & carry-on about his relay split in Kazan; excellent as they were, these 47.8 flying starts equate to 48.5/48.6 flat start. In other words no significant advance on his trials swims.
Certainly the best male 100 prospect that AUS has coming through but still a significant jump away from breaking 48flat start. He may get there but it’s far from a certainty. There’s plenty who’ve swam his times and never advanced further.
He’s probably the best prospect in a frankly “less than vintage” AUS team of only moderate quality. The only other male with a realistic chance of making the Rio squad is the breaststroker Wilson who is within a second… Read more »
On what grounds? How about the fact that he’s still in the early months of 17 and is beginning to enter the years where big time drops come about. Especially in sprint events. Care to remind us what Cameron McEvoy was going at that age?
Of course Commonwonbat is correct, there are many swimmers who swim great times as youth & never replicate as they getting older.
However, Markster, I do agree with you, a swimmer at 16 years old swimming 48.6 & then backing it up in his first int’l meet to show he has the mettle to handle it to swim 2 relay splits at 47.86 & 47.92 at 17 years old. You would expect him to improve & one can only imagine how quick he may be at 19 or 20 year old.
So while there is hype, there is justifiable hype.