The 25m Pool and the Trap of Records: What the 2026 WA Short Course Championships Revealed

I sat in the technical area, my eyes fixed on the electronic board as the words 'WA Record' appeared next to a 3:32.66 performance by the men's 4x100m freestyle relay. The crowd erupted, but I only wanted to look at my own stopwatch – the one I had calibrated over 11 years of covering sports. That moment reminded me of my first World Cup assignment in 2026, when I mispronounced Mbappé's name three times and realized that every sport speaks its own language. Swimming speaks through numbers – but not all numbers are trustworthy. From a World Cup mispronunciation, I learned that football doesn't start with the feet but with the ear. In swimming, everything starts with precision and context. The 2026 WA Age & Open Short Course Championships took place in a 25m pool, featuring Western Australia's notable swimmers: Iona Anderson, 20, an Olympic medalist; Joshua Yong, a veteran breaststroke specialist holding multiple state records; and emerging talents Sam Carmignani and Brielle Dredge. This is not a qualification meet for the national team, but it is where local records are set – and where I get to dig into data that ordinary sports media often overlook. I run like an athlete, jumping between sports like an adrenaline addict. But with swimming, I can't rely on emotion alone. When Sam Carmignani touched the wall in the 100m IM at 56.46 – a personal best improved by more than a second – I immediately checked the time from three different sources. No stroke rate data, no turn times, no underwater video. Just a bare number and my skepticism. For a young swimmer, such a large improvement could signal a real breakthrough or merely a favorable day at the pool. I need more meets to confirm. Brielle Dredge is another fascinating case. She won four events: 50m, 100m, 200m breaststroke and 200m IM. Her 1:07.91 in the 100m breaststroke shows rare endurance, but compared to the short-course world record of around 1:02.5, the gap is still a chasm. That doesn't diminish her state-level victories, but it reminds me we are talking about a different arena from the international stage. Iona Anderson, as far as I know, is a backstroke specialist. Her participation in the 100m IM and winning at 1:00.66 is likely supplementary training. She doesn't need to prove anything at a state meet; she already has an Olympic medal. Yet her presence here shows that this competition still attracts stars, which matters for Australia's youth development pathway. Joshua Yong – the standout name of the meet – set a new record in the 50m breaststroke with 26.61, improving his previous mark by 0.21 seconds. He also swam the 100m breaststroke in 57.58, just a fraction off his personal best. His consistency across three breaststroke distances (50-100-200) suggests solid aerobic base, but the big question is whether he can translate short-course speed to long-course, where national team selection truly happens. Breaking the 1:00 barrier in the 100m breaststroke long-course will be the key benchmark. What I want to emphasize here is the difference between a 25m pool and a 50m pool. In short-course, the number of turns doubles, allowing swimmers to benefit from push-offs and underwater dolphin kicks. A swimmer with exceptional underwater technique can be significantly faster than in long-course. Therefore, every record set at this meet is only valid within the short-course reference system. When local media calls this 'history', they forget that real Australian swimming history is written at long-course national trials. Another key point: the relay record of 3:32.66 broke the previous mark by 1.53 seconds. That's impressive because relays demand perfect exchanges. However, we have no split times or exchange efficiency data. I can guess that the legs were all strong, but without individual hand-timed splits, any conclusion is speculation. I don't trust speculation – I trust data. Hearing the crowd roar, I know I am writing with sweat, not just ink. This meet genuinely matters for Western Australia. It's where clubs like Highlanders, Hale Aquatics and Kwinana showcase the strength of local training systems. But zooming out, these results do not shake the global swimming map. Even Joshua Yong, with all his state records, remains far from Adam Peaty – who once swam 55.28 in the 100m breaststroke short-course. The 2.3-second gap is a canyon that not everyone can bridge. From pressing to a goal is a long journey, just as I learned to pronounce my own name anew. In swimming, the journey from a state-level record to the Olympic arena is even more arduous. But meets like this are where future stars are nurtured. If Sam Carmignani maintains his upward trajectory, he could become a household name in two years. Brielle Dredge also shows promise with her versatility in breaststroke events. Objectively, the WA Short Course Championships is not a career-defining event. It is a mid-season checkpoint, a test for swimmers to gauge speed under competitive conditions. Coaches often use these results to adjust training plans, not as final judgment. I have followed swimmers who excelled in short-course but faded when stepping up to long-course, and vice versa. Therefore, I maintain a principle: each sport is its own universe, and I am fortunate to be a traveler among those orbits. The real story of this meet lies in the overlooked numbers. For instance, Anderson's 1:00.66 in the 100m IM – if she is truly a backstroke specialist, this is just a secondary event. But it shows excellent medley ability, which scouts may notice. I also noticed there is no mention of doping, technical controversies, or injuries – a sign that the meet ran clean and by the book. Speaking of risks, my biggest concern is local media hype. When a news report only highlights 'records' without contextualizing the short-course format, it can create false illusions for young athletes. Sam Carmignani might believe he is ready for international competition, when in reality there is still a long way to go. I have seen many young talents destroyed by excessive expectations after a single standout performance. On the other hand, there is a positive signal: Western Australian clubs have impressive squad depth. Having swimmers like Yong and Anderson compete at state-level meets creates motivation for younger generations. They can see their idols swimming in the same pool, which has intangible value. The stands may be sparse, but kids train harder after every season. Back to the main issue: how should we interpret results from this meet? I propose a three-layer filter. First, always note whether the pool is 25m or 50m. Second, compare with the swimmer's own performance in the same event at long-course, if available. Third, never judge a swimmer based on a single meet. With this filter, we can avoid hasty judgments. As for Joshua Yong, he is clearly at his peak in short-course. But to conquer the international stage, he needs to break 1:00 in the long-course 100m breaststroke – an achievable goal if he maintains his current speed. He should also consider focusing more on the 50m and 100m rather than spreading across three distances, because at the elite level, specialization can make a big difference. For Brielle Dredge, she needs to seek larger competitions to test herself. If she can make an Australian national final, her value will skyrocket. As for Sam Carmignani, I will follow his results at the upcoming national junior championships – if he improves again, that's a genuine rising star. Finally, what I want to stress: don't rush to celebrate short-course records. Wait for the long-course season, where real contracts and selection spots are signed. Then we will know who the true winners are. For me, the joy of being a sports journalist is not in reporting a record but in following the long journey behind it. The WA 2026 meet is just one stop, but it has given me names to keep on my radar. See you at the long-course pool.