Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
An “invincible” Sam Short has lit the fuse for an explosive Commonwealth Games with the swim star declaring he can’t wait to help Australia smash England again.
Distance freestyle ace Short booked his spot for next month’s Glasgow Games with a powerhouse performance at Australia’s swimming trials.
Short clocked a personal best to win the men’s 400m freestyle on Monday’s opening night of Australia’s swimming selection meet in Sydney.
Highly-touted teammates Kaylee McKeown (women’s 50m backstroke) and Lani Pallister (women’s 400m freestyle) were among other victors.
Australia has topped the medal table at eight of the past nine Commonwealth Games, but the outlier came in Glasgow in 2014 when when England stole pole position.
The Dolphins have long ruled the Commonwealth pool. The Australians won 65 swimming medals in Birmingham four years ago including 25 golds – three shy of the nation’s record gold haul at the 2018 Gold Coast Games.
“I’m so pumped. I can’t wait to go over there and smash those Pommies up,” Short told the Nine Network.
Short was under 400m freestyle world record pace at the final turn before fading to touch in three minutes 40.67 seconds – 0.71 seconds outside the benchmark of Germany’s Lukas Martens.
Short’s time – the fastest in the world this year – eclipsed his previous personal best in the event, set in 2023.
“It’s actually a 0.01 (second) PB so that’s three years in the making,” he said.
“That hurt so much. My coaching staff … they have really just pushed me to my limits, they have been saying: ‘I want to keep pushing you until you break’.
“And I think I have only broken once this season, in a pretty diabolical session.
“I am full of confidence right now and I feel like I’m invincible, so I really went out there and gave it a red hot crack.”
In the women’s 50m backstroke, McKeown (27.13 seconds) pipped Mollie O’Callaghan (27.19).
Pallister won the women’s 400m freestyle in 3:59.72, touching ahead of Jenna Forrester, who earlier saluted in the women’s 200m individual medley.
Other Monday night winners were Sam Williamson (men’s 100m breaststroke), Alex Perkins (women’s 100m butterfly) and Isaac Cooper (men’s 50m backstroke).
Para swimmers Alex Saffy (men’s 50m butterfly), Kael Thompson (women’s 50m ‘fly), Declan Budd (men’s 200m freestyle) and Madeleine McTernan (women’s 200m freestyle) won multi-class finals.
