State champions and Vic Country winners ready to shine at nationals
The Ballarat region is sending a strong squad to the Australian all age and open championships in Brisbane this weekend. Check out the swimmers to look out for ahead of the event.
More than 20 of Ballarat’s best swimmers are ready to make a splash at the upcoming Australian all age swimming championships.
The best swimmers from around the country are heading to Brisbane to compete in the national titles in all age groups.
It’s an important nationals for those looking to impress ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Scotland.
For the juniors it’s some of the first steps towards being one of the swimmers to line up for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
Here are the swimmers to look out for from Ballarat ahead of the meet.
Luke Gallagher (Ballarat GCO Swimming Club) - 16
Will compete in his third age championships and first open championships. Will also represent Victoria in the state relays and is the only Ballarat swimmer to do so. His pet event is the 50m breaststroke and is currently ranked 4th in Australia for it. He won gold recently at the Victoria Country championships.
Ava Candy (Ballarat Swimming Club) - 16
Will be a busy swimmer at the nationals, competing in nine events, the most of any swimmer from the region. She recently won five medals at the Victoria Country championships and will be looking to make some A finals this year at the nationals.
Ella Matters (Ballarat Swimming Club) - 15
Won the state title last year in the 100m breaststroke in the 15-year-olds. She enters the national titles as one of the best breaststroke swimmers in the country and will be looking to make finals in a few events.
Astrid Buchanan (Ballarat Swimming Club) - 13
Will compete in her first Australian age championships and has qualified for five events. She recently won gold at the Victoria Country championships. Buchanan’s goal is to swim personal bests during the event.
Oliver McCormack (Ballarat Gold Swimming Club) - 16
Missed out on gold at the state championships by 0.02s in the 16-year-old boys 400m freestyle. A strong middle distance swimmer who will compete in five events. He’s ranked in the top-15 in a couple of events so will be looking to push towards making a finals spot.
Jack Lanyon (Ballarat Gold Swimming Club) - 17
Will compete in his first Australian open championship and fourth Australian all age titles. A backstroker who has qualified for three events and will aim to make the finals. He won silver medals at the recent Victoria Country championships and state sprint championships.
Claire Mathison (Ballarat Gold Swimming Club) - 16
Will compete at her first Australian nationals as an individual athlete and has qualified for four events. The hard work for Mathison, who is a backstroker, has paid off.
Oliver Kallio (Ballarat Gold Swimming Club) - 15
Won the 14-year-old 200m backstroke at the state titles and also won gold at the Victoria Country championships and state sprint titles. Will compete in three backstroke events and will be aiming to potentially medal in the 200m backstroke at the nationals.
Other swimmers in the district that have qualified:
Ballarat Swimming Club: Tom Urquhart, Blake Scott, Alice Smith and Hannah Buchanan
Ballarat Gold Swimming Club: Dayne Schnyder, Zoe Schnyder, Cooper Sutherland, Marley Sutherland, Isla Ho, Matther Mace, Edward Meddings, Max Hocking, Thomas Costello, Miller Stott, Elle Cofield
Originally published as State champions and Vic Country winners ready to shine at nationals
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