New records and standout performances at the WA Short Course Championships

When the clock stopped at 3:32.66, the four young men of the 4x100m freestyle relay team looked at each other—they had just broken the Western Australia state record by 1.53 seconds. The 25m pool in Perth wasn't particularly loud, but that moment reminded me of something I've learned over years of following swimming: state-level records are often either the beginning of bigger stories or the end of inflated expectations. The 2026 WA Age & Open Short Course Championships spanned three days, bringing together familiar faces of Australian swimming. Iona Anderson, the 20-year-old Olympic medalist, competed but only in her secondary events. Joshua Yong, a national team swimmer, was there to test his form across three breaststroke distances. And Sam Carmignani, a lesser-known name, produced the most notable technical performance. Carmignani swam the 100m individual medley in 56.46, improving by more than a second from his previous best. In swimming, this level of improvement in a young athlete is a positive signal, but it needs verification in subsequent meets. I've watched enough competitions to know that an explosive performance can be the highlight of a season or the turning point of a career. The difference lies in consistency. The biggest highlight belonged to Joshua Yong. He broke his own record in the 50m breaststroke with a time of 26.61, improving 0.21 seconds from his previous record of 26.82. This is the WA All-Comers & Residential Record, a title for both local and visiting athletes. In the 100m breaststroke, Yong swam 57.58, close to his personal best. His consistency across all three breaststroke distances (50m, 100m, 200m) shows good endurance, but also raises the question of whether he's spreading himself too thin. Brielle Dredge is another notable name. She won four events: 100m breaststroke (1:07.91), 200m IM (2:18.78), 200m breaststroke (2:26.37), and 50m breaststroke (31.04). Her ability to swim multiple breaststroke distances in the same meet shows good endurance, but her times are still far from international standards. The short-course world record for the women's 100m breaststroke is around 1:02.5, meaning Dredge is more than five seconds behind. That's a significant gap. What I want to emphasize here is the difference between the value of a state-level record and a national or international one. The relay record of 3:32.66 is a proud achievement, but it holds no weight when compared to national teams. Short-course swimming (25m) has more turns, creating a time advantage over long-course (50m), so short-course results cannot be directly compared to long-course results. This is a point many fans often misunderstand. I went to Russia for the 2026 World Cup and asked "Where are the women?" I learned that elite sport isn't just about numbers on a scoreboard, but the stories behind those numbers. At this meet, the story lies in athletes using a state-level competition to test their form ahead of the upcoming long-course season. This is part of a training cycle, not the final destination. Iona Anderson, as an Olympic athlete, is likely using this meet as a light training test. Her 1:00.66 in the 100m IM isn't her best, and that's not concerning. She's a backstroke specialist, and her main season will be in long-course meets. Expecting an Olympic medalist to perform at their peak in a state-level meet is a misreading of how elite sport operates. From a systemic perspective, this meet has no impact on the global swimming landscape. It's a state-level competition where clubs like Highlanders, Hale Aquatics, and Kwinana send their athletes. No Olympic or World Championship spots were awarded here. The value lies in creating a benchmark to measure progress and maintaining motivation for young athletes. The stands were empty, but the voices from the locker room never stopped. That's a phrase I always keep in mind when writing about women's sport, and it applies to sport in general. What happens on the water's surface is only the tip of the iceberg. Beneath it are hours of training, silent injuries, and sacrifices no one sees. When there are no spectators, we truly listen to the athletes. So what's truly noteworthy from this meet? Joshua Yong is showing reliable consistency in breaststroke, and if he maintains this form in upcoming long-course meets, he could become a candidate for the national team. Sam Carmignani needs to be tracked at the next meet to confirm his improvement. And Brielle Dredge, though far from international standards, remains a notable talent at the state level. But above all, I want to reiterate: don't rush to conclusions from a single meet. Swimming is a sport of patience. A state-level record can be the start of a great journey, or it can be a fleeting moment. The difference lies in what happens next, in the quiet months of training, in the ability to repeat performances. And that's why I'm still here, still writing about small meets, still listening to the stories from the locker room.